MicrobeWorld

Types of Archaea

There are three main types of archaea: the crenarchaeota (kren-are-key-oh-ta), which are characterized by their ability to tolerate extremes in temperature and acidity. The euryarchaeota (you-ree-are-key-oh-ta), which include methane-producers and salt-lovers; and the korarchaeota (core-are-key-oh-ta), a catch-all group for archaeans about which very little is known. Among these three main types of archaea are some subtypes, which include:

Methanogens (meth-an-oh-jins) — archaeans that produce methane gas as a waste product of their "digestion," or process of making energy.

Halophiles (hal-oh-files) — those archaeans that live in salty environments.

Thermophiles (ther-mo-files) — the archaeans that live at extremely hot temperatures.

Psychrophiles (sigh-crow-files) — those that live at unusually cold temperatures.