The characteristics that apply to Archaea are;
Tolerant of extreme environments
Ancestors of protists
Prokaryotic
Reproduce by binary fission
Archaea are unicellular prokaryotic (lacks true nucleus) microbial species that are similar to bacteria in size and shape. Archaebacteria are the oldest organisms living on the earth and are known as ancestors of protist. Archaebacteria are considered as extremophiles because they can withstand and live in various extreme environments such as in hot springs, sea vents, and below the sea. They reproduce by an asexual process known as binary fission.