Where can bacteria and archaea live?

Bacteria and archaea are extremely widespread (bacteria moreso than archaea, but current studies are pointing to archaea as an important component of various microbial communities). read more

Moreover, some bacteria and many archaea are extremophiles, meaning that they live in habitats with extremes of temperature, salinity, or pH, for example. Some of these extreme habitats include things like deep sea vents, thermal pools, dried and salted fish, and acid mine drainage. read more

Archaebacteria, more properly called archaea, are single celled organisms that live in a wide range of habitats, including the harsh conditions of hot springs. Thermophiles are arachea which grow best at temperatures above 45 Celsius, but some species thrive in much warmer temperatures. read more

Archaea can also be commensals, benefiting from an association without helping or harming the other organism. For example, the methanogen Methanobrevibacter smithii is by far the most common archaean in the human flora, making up about one in ten of all the prokaryotes in the human gut. read more