Talmudic Question #75
What would the world be like without the Archaea?
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Carl Woese would be less famous.
Methane: there would be more of it because no more ANME on the seafloor....but, there'd be less of it because hey, no more methanogens.
So, in conclusion, something or other with methane would be different.
Without Archaea, no Eukarya. Sure that Earth might be drastically different!
If we take the theory of eukaryotic origin by symbiosis between an archeon and a bacterium, well, we wouldn't be here to ask the question!
There wiil be a different evolutionary organization, as well as many processes that are unique to the archaebacteria will remain unknown such as the fixing of carbon, the salt-tolerant capacity and the utilization of organic compounds as a source of energy.
So without Archaea, no traits belonging to the modern day Archaea would be around? Ummm...
a plain world?
Well put. Elio
We would have no gap between the evolution between eubacteria and eukaryotes.
Important niches that the Archaea would have occupied would remain empty till such time some other groups will have eventually evolved to fill them. Life goes on...