Juan received a class assignment to write about organisms that live in extreme environments. While doing research online, he found an image that showed microbial bodies thriving in hot springs. The organisms lacked a nucleus or defined organelles. Which organisms can he possibly find in such conditions? a. plant-like protists b. animal-like protists c. fungus-like protists d. archaea

The description of microbial bodies thriving in hot springs and lacking a nucleus or defined organelles suggests that the organisms belong to a group known as archaea.

Therefore, the correct answer is: d. archaea

• Archaea are single-celled microorganisms that are known to inhabit extreme environments such as hot springs, deep-sea hydrothermal vents, acidic environments, and hypersaline lakes. They are characterized by their ability to survive in conditions of high temperature, acidity, salinity, or other extreme conditions.
• Many archaea found in hot springs are thermophiles, thriving in environments with high temperatures. Some of these thermophilic archaea lack a true nucleus and do not possess membrane-bound organelles, which sets them apart from eukaryotic organisms (like plants, animals, and protists) that typically have nuclei and well-defined organelles.
• The presence of microbes thriving in hot springs without defined organelles aligns with the characteristics of archaea, indicating that these extremophiles are likely the organisms depicted in the image Juan found during his research.