Abstract
Halophilic (salt-loving), thermophilic, acidophilic or psychrophilic organisms are all examples of biological adaption to ex- treme environmental conditions. Halophilic organisms are distinguished from marine organisms by the requirement of more than 3% NaCl in their growth medium, extremely halophilic bacteria require more than 15% NaCl for optimal growth. The genus Halobacteria, object of this article, belongs to the extreme halophiles. A third group comprises the so-called halotolerant organisms which are able to grow in the absence of salt1 as well as in the presence of high salt concentrations (GIBBONS, 1969). Halophiles occur in nature wherever their special growth conditions are met and may then reach very high cell densities, e. g. in open ponds where salt is produced by evaporation of sea water. The bright red color of such brines is partially due to carotenoids of extreme halophiles, which grow out their biological concurrence (for illustration see OESTERHELT, 1974a).
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