Ncert Exercises & Solutions

3. Most living organisms cannot survive at temperature above 450C. How are some microbes able to live in habitats with temperatures exceeding 1000C?

Archaebacteria (Thermophiles) are ancient forms of bacteria found in hot water

springs and deep sea hydrothermal vents. They are able to survive in high

temperatures (which far exceed 100°C) because their bodies have adapted to such

environmental conditions. These organisms contain specialized thermo-resistant

enzymes, which carry out metabolic functions that do not get destroyed at such

high temperatures.