Haloarchaea

From WikiMD's Food, Medicine & Wellness Encyclopedia

Haloarchaea or haloarchaeota are a class of the Euryarchaeota, found in water saturated or nearly saturated with salt. They are also called halophiles, though this name is also used for other organisms which live in somewhat less concentrated salt water. They are common in salt flats.

Characteristics[edit | edit source]

Haloarchaea can grow in concentrations of salts that would kill most other organisms. They are so dependent on salt for their survival, that they cannot grow in the absence of salt. They are aerobic, and they breathe oxygen.

Classification[edit | edit source]

Haloarchaea were originally classified as a group of bacteria. However, their unusual characteristics and genomics have led them to be classified as a separate, third domain of life, the Archaea.

Metabolism[edit | edit source]

Haloarchaea are capable of photosynthesis. They use a purple pigment for this process, which is similar to the one used by purple bacteria, and different from the green pigment used by plants and cyanobacteria.

Reproduction[edit | edit source]

Haloarchaea reproduce asexually by binary fission, fragmentation, or budding; unlike bacteria, no species forms spores.

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]


External links[edit | edit source]

Haloarchaea Resources
Doctor showing form.jpg
Wiki.png

Navigation: Wellness - Encyclopedia - Health topics - Disease Index‏‎ - Drugs - World Directory - Gray's Anatomy - Keto diet - Recipes

Search WikiMD


Ad.Tired of being Overweight? Try W8MD's physician weight loss program.
Semaglutide (Ozempic / Wegovy and Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) available.
Advertise on WikiMD

WikiMD is not a substitute for professional medical advice. See full disclaimer.

Credits:Most images are courtesy of Wikimedia commons, and templates Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY SA or similar.


Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD