The world of halophiles is quite diverse and their representatives in three domains of life
i.e. archaea bacteria and eukarya. They are found all over the small subunit rRNA based tree
of life and these micro-organisms are adapted to salt concentration up to saturation hence able
to grow at >300g l Nacl concentration. Their metabolic diversity is high as well encompassing
oxygenic and anoxygenic phototrophs aerobic heterotrophs denitrifiers sulphate reducers
fermenters and methanogens. The proteins of halophiles are magnificently engineered to function
in a milieu containing 2-5M salt that encodes genes represent a valuable repository and
resource for reconstruction and visualizing processes of habitat selection and adaptive
evolution. Search for new enzymes endowed with novel activities and enhanced stability
continues to be desirable purpose for important commercial production of biotechnological
significance. These poly extremophiles proved excellent source of enzymes andmetabolites
possessing inherent ability to function in extreme conditions of high salt alkaline pH and
facilitating catalysis for industrial application in food processing industrial bioconversion
bioremediation etc. In fact it has just begun to realize the great potential and true extent
of diversity and suitable applications if explored them judiciously. This book highlights
current applications and research on halophiles to provide a timely overview. Chapters are
written by expert authors from around the world and include topics of varied importance which
include their role to play in enzyme production restoration of soil fertility and plant growth
antimicrobial and biocatalytic potential biomolecules in nanotechnology and aspects of quorum
sensing. The book is divided into three sections dealing with biodiversity biotechnology and
sustainable exploitation of halophiles. This major new work represents a valuable source of
information to all those scientists interested in microorganisms in general and extremophiles
in particular with respect to their innovative products and applications.
