Title: Archaea: Definition, Characteristics & Examples - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com
Headings: Archaea: Definition, Characteristics & Examples
Archaea: Definition, Characteristics & Examples
Lesson Transcript
The Tree of Life
Definition of Archaea
Hyperthermophiles
Extreme Halophiles
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Archaea: Definition, Characteristics & Examples
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Content: In fact, the extreme pink color of some salt ponds, like those in San Francisco, is actually due to the pink pigments produced by the Archaea growing in the water. Extreme halophiles, like Halobacterium and Natronobacterium, are only able to thrive in these high-salt environments. One note here: Archaea in this group are able to survive salt-based food preservation methods like used with meats and fish. But no pathogenic Archaea have been discovered yet, so you are not going to get sick from consuming these organisms. As is the case in science, this could change at any time. But it seems that Archaea did not evolve to cause disease in mammals. Thermoacidophiles
There are also Archaea that are thermoacidophiles. These organisms grow best at high temperatures and extremely low pH. For many Archaea, this means a pH less than 2, the same pH as stomach acid. One genus of Archaea, called Picrophilus, can even survive pH values below zero.