Which microbial organism grows best in acidic habitat & microorganisms are most efficient organic matter decomposers under acidic soil conditions?
Microorganisms that grow optimally at a pH less than 5 are acidophiles and sulphur-oxidizing Sulfolobus spp. isolated from sulphur mud fields and hot springs in Yellowstone National Park are extreme acidophiles. Fungi are often dominant members of the soil microflora, especially in acidic environments, and may operate over a wider pH range than many heterotrophic bacteria. Some of the bacterial genera that often perform this activity are Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Rhizobium, Burkholderia, Achromobacter, Agrobacterium, Micrococcus, Aerobacter, Flavobacterium, Mesorhizobium, Azotobacter and Azospirillum. Among the fungi, Aspergillus and Penicillium predominate. However, highly acidic environments are usually inhabited by acidophilic and acidotolerant eukaryotic microorganisms such as algae, amoebas, ciliates, heliozoan and rotifers, not to mention filamentous fungi and yeasts."Extremophiles" are organisms with the ability to thrive in extreme environments such as hydrothermal vents. Since they live in “extreme environments” they can tell us under which range of conditions life is possible.
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