âº a gradual process of change and development. âº biology Evolution is the process by which the physical characteristics of types of creatures change over time, new types of creatures develop, and others disappear. (Definition of âevolutionâ from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary Â© Cambridge University Press)
You can remember the difference between endotherms and ectotherms if you remember that endo- means inside endo- = inside and ecto- means outside ecto- = outside, so endotherms generate their own heat from within, and ectotherms get their heat from the outside.
The creatures that live there are a type of extremophile known as thermophiles (thermo-meaning heat and phile meaning loving). On the other end of the temperature spectrum we find psychrophiles organisms that thrive in very cold environments, down to -18 C (less than 0 F)! The environments in which these two extremophiles live couldn t be more opposite. Thermophiles grow best at temperatures greater than 176 F (80 C) which can be found in places such as boiling hot springs or deep in the ocean near hydrothermal vents. On the other hand, psychrophiles prefer temperatures much less than 15 C for optimum growth and have been discovered living in snow, ice, and glaciers.