Sulfolobus JEN BLISS

acidocaldarius
BIOLOGY
a thermophilic archean

Where S.
acidocaldarius
belongs on a
tree
S. acidocaldarius is a member of
the Chrenarchea phylum shown
below highlighted in green. You
can see the Sulfolobus family
within the Chrenarchea branch.
S. acidocaldarius is an archean that is most That is where S. acidocaldarius
commonly isolated in Yellowstone thermal fits into a phylogenetic tree. This
pools and causes the red color in the picture shows that it is within the
above. Archaea kingdom, which is most
This organism thrives in environments with temperatures
of 80C and pH2. This means that it can survive in some closely related to eukaryotic
of the hottest, and extremely acidic environments like organisms. Archea are distinct
those at the Yellowstone thermal pools. from both eukaryotes and
bacteria, although they share
Extreme environments call for similar features of both.
extreme adaptations!
In order to survive at high temperatures and extremely
acidic conditions, S. acidocaldarius has development
special mechanisms to combat the damage the conditions
cause. This archean can repair DNA damage caused from
the heat and UV light. These repair pathways allow S.
acidocaldarius to rapidly fix the constant damage that
occurs in its environment and allows it to survive better than
organisms that do not have these adaptations.
This member of the archea family also uses protein bubbles
that wrap around its DNA to further protect from damage
and can sense temperature and move away from areas
where it is too hot to survive. S. acidocaldarius is perfectly
suited for life in an extreme environment!
References
Sulfolobus acidocaldarius - MicrobeWiki. (2017). Microbewiki.kenyon.edu. Retrieved 17 June 2017, from
https://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Sulfolobus_acidocaldarius

Microbe uses protein to bubble wrap its DNA, avoids being boiled alive - Factorialist. (2015). Factorialist.
Retrieved 17 June 2017, from http://factorialist.com/microbe-uses-protein-to-bubble-wrap-its-dna/