Microorganisms Taxonomy Habitat
Fungi Viruses Bacteria
What are thermophiles?

Thermophiles are microorganisms that live and grow in extremely hot environments that would kill most other microorganisms. Thermophiles are grouped into either prokaryotes or eukaryotes, and these two groups of extremophiles are classified in the group of archaea. They grow best in temperatures that are between 50C/120F- 70C/158F. They will not grow if the temperature reaches 20C/68F. Thermophiles are not easy to study because the extreme conditions that they need to survive are hard to provide in a laboratory.

Thermophiles either live in geothermal habitats, or they live in environments that create heat themselves. A pile of compost and garbage landfills are two examples of environments that produce heat on their own.

Some thermophiles like, Chaetomium thermophile, Humicola insolens, Humicola (Thermomyces) lanuginosus , Thermoascus aurantiacus, a Paecilomyces-like fungus and Aspergillus fumigatus are microorganisms called fungi.
The Microbial World - photograph   The Microbial World - photograph   The Microbial World - photograph
This grey fungi called Rhizomucor pusillus is found in compost piles. It makes a fluffy cover on the outside and aerial hyphae that stick upward. Spores grow on a stalk that produces spores.
How are thermophiles identified?
Thermophiles are identified in the group of archaea. They can then be divided into prokaryotes or eukaryotes and then finally grouped by the temperature that each can live and grow in. An even smaller identification can be made if a thermophile lives in and acidic and geothermal habitat. That thermophile would be called an thermoacidophile.
How do thermophiles reproduce?
Thermophiles reproduce either by sexual or asexual reproduction. Sexual reproduction requires a male and female organism, but asexual reproduction happens by cell division, mitosis. Thermophilic fungi reproduce by producing male and female spores that come in contact with each other to produce a new organism.
Click to learn about mitosis.         Slides of Mitosis in Action
 
The Microbial World - photograph The Microbial World - photograph
Paecilomyces is a fungus that is common in composting. The tree-like structures are an
example of aerial hyphae with asexual sporing structures. Aereal hyphae reach upward so that
the spores can be released easily into the air.		 This is a matt of the Paecilomyces growing in a lab dish. It forms a fuzzy matt of aereal hyphae.
The Microbial World - photograph
Aspergillus fumigatus is common in compost and
you can see the spore rods that hold the hyphae.
The hyphae produces spores used to reproduce.		 You can see the spore head of the hyphae in this picture.
What do thermophiles do?

Thermus aquaticus and Thermococcus litoralis are two thermophiles that are used as an enzyme used in DNA fingerprinting in criminal cases or in identification of parents or siblings. Bacillus stearothermophilus is another thermophile used as an enzyme in in biological detergents.

Thermophiles in self-heating environments must have a supply of organic matter like food scraps in order to grow. These kinds of thermophiles turn this organic matter into a rich source of nutrients for living microorganisms and plants to use as food.

 

Photographic Citations:
Photographic citations can be found by passing the mouse over the photograph.

Text Citations:

The Microbial World:
permission to use photographs: http://helios.bto.ed.ac.uk/bto/microbes/microbes.htm#top
The Microbial World:
http://helios.bto.ed.ac.uk/bto/microbes/microbes.htm#The

 

 

 
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