the hard, variously colored, calcareous skeleton secreted by certain marine polyps. 2. such skeletons collectively, forming reefs, islands, etc. 3. the solitary or colonial polyp that secretes this calcareous skeleton.
Ancient methanogens are the source of natural gas. Halophiles are bacteria that thrive in high salt concentrations such as those found in salt lakes or pools of sea water. Thermophiles are the heat-loving bacteria found near hydrothermal vents and hot springs.
The cell walls of archaebacteria and bacteria contain forms of peptidoglycan, a protein-sugar molecule not present in the cell walls of fungi, plants, and certain other eukaryotes. The archaebacteria cell wall has a more diverse chemical composition than the cell wall of bacteria.