The Active Heroes In

Hot Springs

By
Aditi patil
(M.Sc.)I
28/02/2009 Fig.no. 1: Geothermal hot spring in Yellowstone national park

Dept. of microbiology
H.P.T. Arts, & R.Y.K.
How these hot springs are formed ?

• Geothermal heat

• Increase in temperature of rocks

• Geothermal gradient Fig. no. 2: Tacharian hot spring

• Contact of water with hot rocks

• Sources of heat for hot springs in

non-volcanic areas
Fig.no. 3: Mammoth hot spring
 Hot Spring Biocommunities
• The unique environment as host
to a web of life
• Consumption of toxic chemicals
by microbes

Fig. no. 4: Olympic hot spring • Consumption of microbial mats by

animal species
• Tolerance to certain levels of heat
and toxicity
• The communities form concentric
rings around hydrothermal vents
Fig.no. 5: Chile hot spring
• Vent and non-vent species.
Extreme Life In Hot Springs
• In the 1960’s, biologists were interested in
studying “how extreme” life could be ?

• Microbes from hot springs in Yellowstone

National Park

• Temperatures of ~85°C (185 °F) – near the

boiling point of the water

• The question: How far close to the hottest water

could microbes survive ?
What’s the Big Deal about life at
high temperatures?

• Experience says that

putting living creatures
in boiling hot water kills
them

• How?

Fig no.7 : Effect of heat on protein (albumin)

 How can an organism living in
hot springs survive ?
• Animals of hot climates have relatively little
subcutaneous fat.

• Relaxation of the erector-pilli muscles so that

there is no space between the hair ; air cannot
be trapped against the skin

• Dilation of superficial blood vessels so as to

lose heat to atmosphere.

• Low metabolic rate

 Thermophile
• Organisms which require a very
hot environment
• Examples : Bacillus
acidocaldarius, Thermus Fig.no.8:Microbial mat of Thermus aquaticus
aquaticus , Thermus ruber,
Bacillus stearothermophillus,
Cyanobacterioum,etc.
• Survival & fitness optimum at
~85°C (185 °F)

Fig. no. 9 : Microbial mat of Cyanobacteriain

the hot springs at New Zealand
 Tubeworms
• Most common and distinctive animals
found at hydrothermal vents
Fig.no.10: Old and young tubeworms
• Attach to the seafloor
• No mouth or anus.
• Symbiotic microbes living inside

Fig.no.11: shorter younger tubeworms

• Live in colonies
• Hundreds to many thousands of
individuals
• Many other smaller vent species

Fig.no.12: Dead tubeworms

• Formation of mounds From colonies
 Other Thermotolerant Species
• Clams

• Limpets and snails

Fig.no.13: snails • Annelid worms

• Species of crabs and

Fig.no.14: Clams arthropods

• Some fishes like striped

Fig.no.15:Limpets bass fingerlets, Garra rufa
• Bentosoctopus, rare
species
Fig.no.16: crab

Fig.no.17: Annelids
 Applications of organisms in hot
springs
• Thermophilic microorganisms in Food
Wastes Processing.
• Bacillus acidocaldarius, Thermus
aquaticus , Thermus ruber, Bacillus
stearothermophillus, etc.
• Enzymes from the hyperthermophile
Pyrococcus furiosus of deep sea vents Fig.no.18: Waste from food industry
are used by forensic scientists in DNA
testing.
• Taq polymerase enzyme used in PCR
derived from Thermus aquaticus
(thermophile)
• Medicinal value of hot springs

Fig.no.19: Fish therapy with Garra rufa fish

• Improvement in rheumatoid arthritis patients after exercise in
a hot spring bath
• A newly discovered species of bacteria living in hot springs
could help fight global warming, according to a study
published in Nature.
• Methanotrophic bacterium discovered, which reduces
methane gas emissions from landfills, mines, industrial
wastes, geothermal power plants and other sources
• Recovery of copper, nickel, etc. by bioleaching with
thermophile : Thiobacillus caldus, Sulphobacillus
thermosulfidooxidants, Sulphobacillus acidocalderia
• Applications for Geobacillus isolates, firstly in the metabolism
of the herbicide glyphosate and secondly in the metabolism of
quorum-sensing signal molecules from Gram-negative
bacteria.
References :
• http://www.jsbi.org/journal/IBSB05/IBSB05F019.pdf
• http://www.pnas.org/content/102/7.cover-expansion
• http://jehanara.wordpress.com/2008/05/28/when-fish-
therapy-does-not-mean-having-fish-as-a-regular-part-of-
your-diet/
• http://www.spavelous.com/SpaBlog/2008/10/17/garra-
rufa-spa-fish-therapy/
• http://sciencelinks.jp/j-
east/article/200014/000020001400A0297119.php
• http://news.mongabay.com/2007/1206-bacteria.html
• http://www.astro.princeton.edu/~strauss/life/yamasato.pa
per
 Reference :
• G. McMullan1, J.M. Christie, T.J. Rahman,
I.M. Banat, N.G. Ternan and R. Marchant
(2004),Habitat, applications and genomics
of the aerobic,thermophilic genus
Geobacillus, In Biochemical Society
Transactions ,32, part 2 : 214- 217