Life seems tough at hydrothermal vents deep in the ocean: crushing pressures, high temperatures and a steady flow of acidic chemicals. But life thrives. Scientists have discovered a slew of bacteria and other microbes that bask in 120-degree Celsius water. Yet, in an environment where pH levels can dip as low as 3 (acidic), scientists had not cultivated acid-loving microorganisms–until now.
Biologist Anna-Louise Reysenbach of Portland State University and her colleagues collected samples from several vent sites off the Pacific coast of South America and isolated a microorganism that seemed to persist near areas of elemental sulfur deposits. Back in the lab, the microbe flourished when allowed to propagate in a sulfur-rich, acidic environment. Further experiments showed that the Archaea-domain critters could prosper in pHs ranging from 3.3 to 5.8 and temperatures between 77 and 50 degrees C. The tiny cellular organism sports a single flagellum to propel it and an outer coating that “resembles a delicate bridal veil,” the researchers write. Reysenbach and her team dubbed the microbe Aciduliprofundum boonei based on its preference for environments that are a little sour and deep as well as for David Boone, a pioneer in the study of Archaea, who recently passed away.
The existence of this acid-loving, warm water extremophile confirms yet another niche in which life can prosper, including extremes of temperature and chemical composition. It also raises the prospect that early life on the earth–or elsewhere in the universe–may have been closer to A. boonei than bacteria. The paper presenting the finding appears in today’s Nature.
Biologist Anna-Louise Reysenbach of Portland State University and her colleagues collected samples from several vent sites off the Pacific coast of South America and isolated a microorganism that seemed to persist near areas of elemental sulfur deposits. Back in the lab, the microbe flourished when allowed to propagate in a sulfur-rich, acidic environment. Further experiments showed that the Archaea-domain critters could prosper in pHs ranging from 3.3 to 5.8 and temperatures between 77 and 50 degrees C. The tiny cellular organism sports a single flagellum to propel it and an outer coating that “resembles a delicate bridal veil,” the researchers write. Reysenbach and her team dubbed the microbe Aciduliprofundum boonei based on its preference for environments that are a little sour and deep as well as for David Boone, a pioneer in the study of Archaea, who recently passed away.
