Year: 1990
Type: article
Abstract: Organisms with pH optima for growth in excess of prig, usually between 9 and 10, are properly defined as alkaliphiles (or sometimes alkalophiles).Most of the organisms described to date as growing under very alkaline conditions are prokaryotes, comprising a heterogeneous collection of eubaeteria (including cyanobacteria) with a few examples of archacbactesia.With the exception of the alkaliphilic archaebacteria (which are also halophilic), few of the isolates have been comprehensively classified.However, it is clear that many different taxa are represented amongst the alkaliphiles, and that some of these at least are likely to be new taxa.Alkaliphiles can be isolated from 'normal' environments such as garden soil presumably because there are transient alkaline conditions generated in such environments by biological activity, but a relatively restricted range of types results from the exploration of such environments (often Bacillus spp.).Naturally-occurring stable alkaline environments such as eutrophic soda (Na2CO3) lakes harbour a much wider range of types.A similarly wide range of types may exist in oligotrophic Ca(OH)z-dominated ground water
Source: FEMS Microbiology Letters
Authors: W.D. Grant, W.E. Mwatha, B.E. Jones
Institutions: University of Leicester, Kenyatta University
Language: English
Subfield: Ecology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2114363486