Developments and Applications of Enzymes from Thermophilic Microorganisms - Chapter 3 - Biodiversity of thermotolerant microorganisms

The interest in hyperthermophilic microorganisms is continuously increasing. The rise in the number of reported hyperthermophiles and the prominence given to these species in global genomic sequencing initiatives are indications of the increased attention. Thermophilic and hyperthermophilic microorganisms are mostly found in heated environments. The optimum growth temperature of thermophilic microorganisms is normally more than 55°C, whereas that for hyperthermophilic microorganisms is more than 80°C. Biodiversity of thermotolerant microorganisms is presented in this chapter.