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How abundant are archaea in the world's oceans?
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Archaea
Archaea are found in a diverse range of extreme environments, including the salt deposits on the shores of the Dead Sea.
Archaea are highly abundant in the world's oceans, where they play significant ecological roles. Research indicates that uncultivated organisms within the Crenarchaeota subdivision account for approximately 20 percent of the microorganisms found in marine picoplankton.1
Additionally, uncultivated members of the Euryarchaeota subdivision inhabit deep-sea marine sediments, where they are responsible for the anaerobic oxidation of methane, a process that helps remove this potent greenhouse gas from the environment.1