Geothermal Habitats

Locations

• Geothermal habitats are located across the planet, most commonly in areas subject to volcanic activity. Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming is situated in an enormous volcanic basin and features abundant wildlife and a range of geothermal activity. More than three quarters of the world's geysers are found in the park, as well as hot springs and bubbling mud pools. Another geothermal habitat of note is the Craters of the Moon thermal area north of Taupo in New Zealand. The area forms part of Wairakei, the largest geothermal field in the country.

Features

• Geothermal habitats feature fumaroles, openings in the Earth's surface where pressurized steam and gases are able to escape. Hot springs are the result of heated water finding its way to the surface through cracks, where it forms small ponds. The water is heated by the molten magma beneath the Earth's surface. Geysers are eruptions of steam and water caused by the accumulation of hot water below the surface of a hot spring.

Plants

• Some plants are able to tolerate the temperatures found in geothermal habitats. Prostrate kanuka is a plant endemic to the geothermal habitats of New Zealand. The size of the plant is related to the temperature of the soil, becoming shorter as the temperature increases. Species of ferns and club moss found in geothermal habitats survive because the steam and heated soils protect them from frosts that would otherwise kill them.

Microorganisms

• Scientists studying the geothermal soil near the Amphitheater Springs in Yellowstone National Park found 16 fungal species, two of which were thermophilic. Thermophiles are microorganisms that thrive in hot environments. According to the Journal of Applied Environmental Biology, fewer than 50 species of thermophilic fungi have been found.