Alkalithermophilic Chemolithoautotrophic Crenarchaeota
Two Nevada thermal features. Photos provided by Chuanlun Zhang and the Nevada hot spring team.
- Most terrestrial and aquatic systems have pH values between 5 and 8 making them neutral in pH (pH 7 is neutral; below 7 is acidic, above 7 is alkaline). However, the Nevada hot springs studied in this project are all quite alkaline, with pHs ranging as high as 10 (on a scale of 0-14) and with water temperatures as hot as 60 degrees Centigrade (~140 degrees Fahrenheit). The alkaline conditions combined with hotter water temperatures dictate the alkalithermophilic portion of the organisms names.
- Chemolithoautotrophic means that these organisms obtain the necessary carbon for metabolic processes from carbon dioxide in their environment. They also use inorganic compounds such as nitrogen, iron, or sulfur for the energy to power these processes. Learn about where different chemolithoautotrophic bacteria get their energy.
- Crenarchaeota comprise the major portion of Archaea which is one of the three major domains forming the tree of life (more info) shown below.
Copyright on all images and material (excluding figures on this page) by Zhang and the Nevada hot spring team, 2005.