Archaea: Salt-Lovers, Methane-Makers, Thermophiles, and Other Archaeans

by David M. Barker

Some Archaea thrive in extreme places around the planet such as in thermal pools, hot vents at the bottom of the sea, extremely salty water, and even in underground oil reserves. Others are found in the intestines of animals and in plankton, tiny organisms that form a feeding reserve for larger marine life. Once grouped with bacteria, the DNA of this fascinating group is sufficiently different that scientists have proposed that they should have a sixth kingdom of their own. This book examines the three main divisions into which members of the diverse Archaea kingdom are grouped according to their unusual biology. It also explains why little in general is known about them, and why further classification of Archaea is so difficult.

48 pages, Hardcover

First published February 15, 2010

Reviews

[Correen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes when I want an overview or a review of a complicated subject, I look for a book in a juvenile nonfiction department. I find these books provide a good foundation of vocabulary and background information. They usually have excellent illustrations and photographs and they break down complicated information into component parts.

The Archaea book was no exception. I have read about Archaea but did not have a sense of how these tiny creatures fit into the overall structure of life on this planet. The writing was spare with an intent of helping readers understand this kingdom or domain and why we know so little about it.

[Mircah Foxwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

A reasonable overview of what archaea are, though my daughter tells me the book (published 2010) is already out of date. Some interesting info and pictures. A bit repetitive - sometimes I would be reading a page and feeling I had read the same ideas before - and I had, a page or two earlier. But ok overall if you want a quick intro to what archaea are all about.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicely complemented with images and sidebars, just as the others in this series are, but Barker spent more words than I really wanted to read on how organisms are classified by scientists. And while I appreciated his pronunciation keys, I found the book's overall organization a little hard to follow: I know a lot about archaeans now, but I don't think I'd be able to recall which traits belong to which phyla.

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Archaeans are extremely interesting organisms that were discovered in the 1970s and now comprise a "domain" of their own. I was very happy to learn more about this fascinating subject which is not covered in many books.