Question

III. Answer the following questions in complete sentences. Select the following extreme environment and describe its composition and provide 2 examples of the microorganisms that one can find (mention them by their genus and species) Hot Springs

Answer 1

Hot springs:

Hot springs develop when the groundwater that comes to surface through an intersect of water table with surface, has already passed through the deep subsurface rock that have been heated up due to proximity of margma . Due to this condition the water that comes out through hot spring has a high temperature ranging from 24oC to 130oC depending on the heat supplied from the rock and the geological setup. Such high tmperature of the water makes the it easier to dissolve and carry several types and higher quantity of ions of sodium, potassium, calcium, sulfur, sulfate, chloride than water at normal temperature, and usually maintains a high pH. This also depends on the temperature of the rock and water and the chemical properties of the the rock the water has passed through.

The habitat of hotsprings can be occupied by microbes that are thermophilic, i.e., are adapted to survive in high temperature aquatic conditions. They can be phtosyntheic and chemosysnthetic. There abundance also depend on conditions like pH, requirement and availability of oxygen and light and other resources, the temeprature of the water and many other factors.  

Two among many of the species of microbes that can occupy the hot spring habitat are - Thermus aquaticus and Chloroflexus aurantiacus.

Thermus aquaticus is a thermphilic can grow and survive at temperatures beyond 70oC and can perform chemosyntheis to produce food. Chloroflexus aurantiacus is a phtosynthetic thermophilic bacteria that can survive in temperature rane 40-70oC.

GENUS SPECIES

Thermus aquaticus

Chloroflexus aurantiacus