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Archaea Reproduction thought, for many years, no living
thing could possibly live. Their
Archaea always reproduce homes are some of the most
asexually. They can produce using extreme places on the planet, and
binary fission, like bacteria. They they have found a way to survive
also can produce through a process there.
known as budding. In budding, a
small appendage, or “bud” grows Thermophiles
on top of the parent organism.
Once this organism is fully “Therm” means heat. (Think about
developed, it breaks off and the words thermometer or
becomes its own organism. thermostat.) “Phile” refers to
loving something, so archaea who
are thermophiles love heat, and
live in incredibly hot environments.
You might think this would be an
environment like the desert, but
we’re actually talking about places
like hot springs, geysers, and the
areas near volcanoes, where the
temperature gets close to 100
degrees Celsius. Just to give some
perspective, the hottest
Figure 14 – An organism undergoing temperature ever recorded was
budding develops a “bud” which 57.8 degrees Celsius, in El Azizia,
eventually becomes its own organism.
Libya in 1922.
Archaea also reproduce through
fragmentation, where pieces of the
cell break off to form new cells. In
all these cases, the offspring has
the same DNA as the parent,
making it genetically identical.
Where are Archaea Found?
Perhaps the most amazing thing
about archaea is where they are
found. Quite simply, archaea can Figure 15 – The hot springs in Yellowstone
National Park were one of the first places
be found in places that scientists archaea were discovered.
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