LIFESCI 2H03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Boiling Point, Chlorophyll, Mariana Trench
6 Apr 2013
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Document Summary
Most organisms have a well range of tolerance. Doesn"t take into account the extent of biodiversity. In terms of morphology, they almost look identical. Some of these microorganisms, some of them are in fact far more different genetically than with fungi and animals: genetically we are closer to plants and fungi then other organisms that look virtually identical. Diversity tends to be found in the two kingdoms (achaea and eucharya) Very trivial, because it is based on humans. What is extreme for us is perfectly normal for other organisms. Liquid water is an absolute requirement of life on earth. Life requires energy: this is going to be done through a flow of electrons based on redox chemistry. An organism that thrives in an extreme environment. Physical extremes: temperature, radiation, pressure, extreme dryness. Geochemical extremes: salinity, ph, oxygen species, redox potential that they can exploit for the transfer of energy. Very rare that extremophile will adapt to only one extreme.
