Red Sea brine pool microbiology
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The Red Sea and its extensions of the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba contain the largest recorded concentration of deep-sea brine pools on the planet. These pools have many features that make them uninhabitable to almost all organisms on the planet, yet certain communities of microbes thrive within these extreme environments that have temperatures ranging from 2.0 °C to 75 °C.[1] The Red Sea brine pools have extreme salt concentrations and varying compositions of nutrients and other chemicals that directly affect their microbiomes. There are approximately 25 individual pools in the region,[2][3] some of which are closely clustered together in groups, leading to their undetermined classification of names. The brine pools originate from hydrothermal vents, the shifting of tectonic plates, and the accumulation of water with properties that make it unsuitable for mixing, leading to its accumulation within faults and divots in the sea floor. Atlantis II Deep, Discovery Deep, and the Kebrit are the most investigated and researched brine pools within the Red Sea.[4] Additionally, many microbial species form beneficial symbiotic relationships with organisms living and feeding in proximity to the pools. These relationships allow for the study of specialized adaptations of microbes to brine pool environments.
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