Question

While studying environmental samples collected from the ground cover of the Amazon rainforest, you isolate a new microorganism. You note that it is single-celled, lacks a nucleus, and is found only in areas of the rainforest that remain humid year-round. Based on this information, how would you best describe this organism

Answer 1

The organism is a prokaryote from the domain Archaea since it lacks organelles and lives in what can be considered an extreme environment.

Step-by-step explanation:

The organism is single-celled and lacks a nucleus. Prokaryotic organisms generally lack nuclei and other membrane-bound organelles such as mitochondrion and chloroplast. Hence, both attributes are characteristic of a typical prokaryote although being unicellular is not exclusive only to prokaryotes.

Prokaryotes can be bacteria of Archaea. The organism, in this case, also lives in an area that is humid all year round. Such an area can be considered to be an extreme environment. Living in extreme environments is a characteristic that is peculiar to Archaea only.

Organisms in the Archaea domain are generally prokaryotic, unicellular, and live in extreme habitats such as hydrothermal vents, marshes, hot springs, etc.