Name: Plant Kingdom and Its Importance
Uploaded: 2019-07-19
Duration: 4 min 10 s
Description: There are over 300,000 species of plants. Yet, how are they so easily classified in today's world? Their classification is based upon various criteria. Watch...

Question

In what ways, the Archaebacteria have become useful in modern science, and why?

Accepted Answer

Archaebacteria are the most primitive prokaryotes. They are found in extreme conditions, like high salt content, hot sulphur springs, the gut of animals, etc. They are of three types: halophiles, methanogens and thermoacidophiles. Cell walls are made up of polysaccharides and proteins, and not of peptidoglycan. This ensures their survival in extreme conditions.

The Archaebacteria have become useful in modern science in the following ways-

Biogas is produced from the dung of ruminants by the methanogens. They are found in marshy areas. They are strictly anaerobes. They are also present in gut of ruminants animals like cows, buffaloes etc., They are responsible for the production of methane which is a component of biogas or gobar gas. The examples are Methanococcus and Methanobacillus.

They are useful in modern biotechnology to produce heat-resistant enzymes and restriction enzymes. Archaeabacteria use restriction enzymes as part of their defence system to cut the DNA of bacteriophages.

They may be used in cleaning up contaminated sites, e.g., petroleum spills.

They may be used in commercial processes to produce an enzyme to convert corn starch into dextrins.

In what ways, the Archaebacteria have become useful in modern science, and why?

Important Questions on Biological Classification

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