Halophiles
The distinguishing colours of the salt ponds of San Francisco Bay are the result of unicellular halophiles; the colours differ because of changing salt concentrations within each pond causing a difference in the dominant halophiles of that pond, with different halophiles producing different colours.
Lake Magadi, Kenya. A well-known habitat for both Halobacterium and Flamingos. The colour of Flamingos has been linked with their eating of brine shrimp. Brine shrimp filter feed on halophilic microorganisms.
Scanning electron micrograph of halophilic microorganisms sampled from a saltern in Spain. Visible are the square cells characteristic of certain Archaeon species. Image from 'Brock Biology of Microorganisms'.
The distinguishing colours of the salt ponds of San Francisco Bay are the result of unicellular halophiles; the colours differ because of changing salt concentrations within each pond causing a difference in the dominant halophiles of that pond, with different halophiles producing different colours.
What is a Halophile?
The word halophile is derived from the ancient Greek háls and phílos and means sea/salt-loving.
About This Site
This website offers a concise overview of halophilic microorganisms and in particular the genus Halobacterium.
Why Halobacterium?
Because two strains of this genus, H. salinarum and Halobacterium sp. NRC-1 are among the most studied examples of halophilic microorganisms.
Authors
Piovesana M, Teal J, Tijani S and Surana J.