'Barophiles' are bacteria which live in
high pressure environments. They are generally found on
ocean floors, where pressure generally exceeds 380
atm (38
MPa). Some have been found at the bottom of the
Pacific Ocean where the maximum pressure is roughly 117 MPa.
''Obligate barophiles'' cannot survive outside of such environments. For example, the
Halomonas species ''
Halomonas salaria'' requires a pressure of 1000 atm (100 MPa) and a temperature of 3
degrees Celsius. ''Barotolerant'' bacteria are able to survive at high pressures, but can exist in less extreme environments as well.
Barophiles grow in darkness, and so are very uv sensitive, they lack many mechanisms of DNA repair.
References
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Microbial activity at gigapascal pressures, Sharma, A., , , Science, 2002