What would the world be like without the Archaea?
Moselio Schaechter
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May 26, 2011
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Important niches that the Archaea would have occupied would remain empty till such time some other groups will have eventually evolved to fill them. Life goes on...
Posted by: Arundhati Pitts | June 01, 2011 at 01:04 PM
We would have no gap between the evolution between eubacteria and eukaryotes.
Posted by: superbug | June 01, 2011 at 12:14 PM
a plain world?
Well put. Elio
Posted by: Huila | May 27, 2011 at 09:03 PM
So without Archaea, no traits belonging to the modern day Archaea would be around? Ummm...
Posted by: abc | May 27, 2011 at 02:27 PM
There wiil be a different evolutionary organization, as well as many processes that are unique to the archaebacteria will remain unknown such as the fixing of carbon, the salt-tolerant capacity and the utilization of organic compounds as a source of energy.
Posted by: Andres Botero | May 27, 2011 at 05:34 AM
If we take the theory of eukaryotic origin by symbiosis between an archeon and a bacterium, well, we wouldn't be here to ask the question!
Posted by: TM7bug | May 27, 2011 at 03:45 AM
Without Archaea, no Eukarya. Sure that Earth might be drastically different!
Posted by: Mathgon | May 27, 2011 at 12:26 AM
Methane: there would be more of it because no more ANME on the seafloor....but, there'd be less of it because hey, no more methanogens.
So, in conclusion, something or other with methane would be different.
Posted by: Curt F. | May 26, 2011 at 07:04 PM
Carl Woese would be less famous.
Posted by: Curt F. | May 26, 2011 at 07:01 PM