Hypersaline environments are the principal habitats of petroleum
deposition. They are also of intense evolutionary and ecological
interest. This book presents a cross-disciplinary examination of the
variety of halophilic microorganisms and their roles in modifying the
ecology and geochemistry of hypersaline environments. The book also
covers in detail the various inland and coastal habitats where
halophilic microorganisms thrive. Geographically, hypersaline
environments extend from the tropics to the poles, and from the
terrestrial to the submarine. Organisms capable of living in such
environments have faced unique evolutionary challenges.