Living Beings

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    Source-identified Saccharolobus solfataricus; Source-identified documentary image; see the original file for method and context.

    Saccharolobus solfataricus

    Saccharolobus solfataricus

    Source-identified Adansonia digitata; Cultivated African baobab photographed in Madagascar.

    African Baobab

    Adansonia digitata

    Enerχiv-Biocoating-fig2b-S. solfataricus.jpg · Resized and converted to WebP for display. Source-identified documentary image; see the original file for method and context. Soroush Niazi, Abdolali K. Sadaghiani, Ghazaleh Gharib, Veysel Ogulcan Kaya, Süleyman Çelik, Özlem Kutlu, Ali Koşar · CC BY 4.0

    Le grand baobab Adansonia digitata 02.jpg · Resized and converted to WebP for display. Cultivated African baobab photographed in Madagascar. Adansonia rayanne2 · CC0

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    TraitSaccharolobus solfataricusAfrican Baobab
    Physical traitsSmall, irregular cells are studied through microscopy and molecular methods. A protein structure from this species is not a photograph of the organism.Thick, fibrous bark surrounds a broad trunk. Each compound leaf has several leaflets radiating from a central point.
    Habitat and rangeHot, acidic terrestrial environments provide its characteristic setting, reproduced selectively in laboratory culture.A terrestrial tree of tropical Africa, it is adapted to seasonally dry conditions and is also planted in gardens and settlements.
    Diet and nutritionThe reference genome encodes systems for sugar, protein and sulfur-related metabolism, reflecting several potential resource-use pathways.Leaves produce sugars through photosynthesis. Water and mineral nutrients are taken up through the roots.
    Behavior and activityTransport and sensory systems connect cellular activity to environmental resources. Mobile genetic elements contribute to genome variation.Data unavailable
    Reproduction and life cycleReplication, genome maintenance and cell division support culture growth. The P2 genome contains numerous mobile elements.Large, hanging white flowers develop into capsules containing seeds embedded in pale, powdery pulp. New trees can be grown from seed.
    Geographic distributionThe reference strain has a documented geothermal origin. Laboratory use across countries is not a map of natural populations.Native to Africa and cultivated elsewhere. The accompanying photograph shows a planted specimen in Madagascar; that location should not be confused with the native range of every baobab species.
    Ecological roleIts physiology contributes to the diversity of microorganisms inhabiting acidic geothermal environments.Its flowers, fruit and extensive woody structure provide biological resources. The familiar name baobab also applies to other species, which should not be confused with this one.
    Distinctive adaptationsThe P2 genome study found abundant mobile genetic elements and many transport, protease and sugar-metabolism genes. This documents a flexible genomic and metabolic repertoire in an identified research strain. The original paper used Sulfolobus solfataricus; later taxonomic work transferred the species to Saccharolobus, so both names occur in its scientific literature.A substantial trunk and drought-resistant growth form help distinguish this tree from many humid-forest trees.

    Classification

    Shared ancestry

    Closest shared taxon: cellular organisms.

    1. LifeLife
    domainArchaeakingdomThermoproteatiphylumThermoproteotaclassThermoproteiorderSulfolobalesfamilySulfolobaceaegenusSaccharolobusspeciesSaccharolobus solfataricus
    domainEukaryotakingdomViridiplantaephylumStreptophytaclassMagnoliopsidaorderMalvalesfamilyMalvaceaegenusAdansoniaspeciesAdansonia digitata
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