hot spring

ENVO:00000051 ·resolve ·AQUATIC ·EXACT REVIEWED

A spring through which groundwater, heated by geothermal energy, flows. — ENVO

Source attestations

Each upstream vocabulary's own account of this habitat. Assertion counts are per-source units and are not comparable across sources — GOLD counts organisms, BacDive strains, PREGO taxa.

What each upstream vocabulary says about this habitat
Source	Label / path	Assertions	Unit
ENVIRONMENTS_TABLE	water_hotspring Physicochemical parameter bands from kg-microbe's environment table.	—
GOLD	Environmental > Aquatic > Thermal springs 3 GOLD ecosystem node ids share this path; first shown. See data/raw/gold_ecosystem_paths.tsv.	744	ORGANISM
MADIN	hot spring	371	TAXON
PREGO	hot spring	243	TAXON

Broader habitats

spring ENVO:00000027
aquatic biome ENVO:00002030

Environmental parameters

Physicochemical parameters
Parameter	Value	Source
GRADIENTS	low	kg-microbe environments.csv (water_hotspring)
ORGANIC_MATTER	low	kg-microbe environments.csv (water_hotspring)
PRESSURE	low	kg-microbe environments.csv (water_hotspring)
SALINITY_VARIABILITY	small	kg-microbe environments.csv (water_hotspring)
STRUCTURAL_COMPLEXITY	low	kg-microbe environments.csv (water_hotspring)
TEMPERATURE	high	kg-microbe environments.csv (water_hotspring)
TEMPERATURE_VARIABILITY	high	kg-microbe environments.csv (water_hotspring)
WATER_AVAILABILITY	high	kg-microbe environments.csv (water_hotspring)
WATER_VARIABILITY	permanently wet	kg-microbe environments.csv (water_hotspring)

Causal graphs

Hot spring thermophile chemolithoautotrophy

In high-temperature hot springs, geothermal water can favor thermophilic growth and protein thermal stability. Reduced inorganic electron donors can support chemolithoautotrophy in capable organisms; the cited isolate and community studies do not describe every hot spring.

Directed graph · arrows run from subject to object. Focus or hover over a node or arrow for details; the evidence table follows.

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hot_spring_thermophile_chemolithoautotrophy edges
Edge	Subject	Predicate	Object	Evidence
`hot_spring_is_geothermally_heated`	hot spring	is heated by Hot springs are groundwater outflows heated by geothermal energy.	geothermal heating	`PMID:30038374` Power et al., Introduction, describes geothermal heating of groundwater. The surveyed springs span broad temperatures; heating does not imply that every spring is an extreme-temperature habitat.
`geothermal_heating_creates_high_temperature`	geothermal heating	creates Geothermal heating can create high-temperature spring water; this edge concerns the surveyed Yellowstone springs above 70 C.	high water temperature	`PMID:15671178` Spear et al., Abstract, studied Yellowstone communities above 70 C using community composition, chemistry, and thermodynamic models.
`high_temperature_selects_thermophiles`	high water temperature	selects for High-temperature conditions can favor thermophilic growth; community temperature effects depend on the sampled range and chemistry.	thermophilic growth capacity	`PMID:30038374` Power et al., Abstract, reports local niche selection across 925 springs. Temperature affected diversity above 70 C; below that, pH was the stronger factor. This is community association/inference, not an experimental proof of temperature-only selection.
`high_temperature_requires_thermostable_proteins`	high water temperature	selects for Growth at high temperature requires functional proteins, maintained by intrinsic stability or extrinsic stabilization.	protein thermal stability	`PMID:11256505` Sterner and Liebl, Abstract, distinguishes intrinsic protein stability from stabilization by chaperones and compatible solutes.
`hot_spring_contains_hydrogen`	hot spring	supplies Hot-spring fluids can contain geologically sourced hydrogen at concentrations relevant to microbial energetics.	geologic hydrogen	`PMID:31276280` Lindsay et al., Abstract, links variation in geological hydrogen supply with hydrogen-use and carbon-fixation evidence in specified Yellowstone springs; concentrations are not universal spring values.
`hydrogen_fuels_hot_spring_primary_production`	geologic hydrogen	fuels Hydrogen oxidation can fuel primary production in high-temperature geothermal ecosystems.	chemolithoautotrophic primary production	`PMID:15671178` Spear et al., Abstract, infers hydrogen-supported production from community composition, chemistry, and thermodynamics in Yellowstone springs above 70 C; it does not directly measure production flux.
`hot_spring_contains_reduced_sulfur`	hot spring	supplies Hot-spring fluids can contain reduced sulfur compounds that serve as electron donors for thermophilic microorganisms.	reduced sulfur compounds	`PMID:15671178` Spear et al., Abstract, includes sulfide-rich Yellowstone springs in its thermodynamic analysis; the donor need not dominate production.
`hydrogen_supports_aquificales`	geologic hydrogen	supports Hydrogen can support capable hot-spring Aquificales, with Thermocrinis minervae CR11 providing a cultured example.	Aquificales thermophiles	`PMID:19651724` Caldwell et al., Abstract and growth experiments, establishes hydrogen-supported CR11 growth with oxygen, not activity of all Aquificales populations in situ.
`reduced_sulfur_supports_aquificales`	reduced sulfur compounds	supports Reduced sulfur compounds support hot-spring Aquificales capable of sulfur oxidation.	Aquificales thermophiles	`PMID:19651724` Caldwell et al., Abstract and growth experiments, reports CR11 using elemental sulfur or thiosulfate with oxygen in culture.
`aquificales_perform_hydrogen_oxidation`	Aquificales thermophiles	performs Hot-spring Aquificales include thermophiles that oxidize hydrogen for energy.	hydrogen oxidation	`PMID:19651724` Caldwell et al., Abstract, provides the bounded CR11 hydrogen-use example; this capability is not asserted for every order member.
`aquificales_perform_sulfur_oxidation`	Aquificales thermophiles	performs Hot-spring Aquificales include thermophiles that oxidize reduced sulfur compounds for energy.	sulfur oxidation	`PMID:9758770` Huber et al., Abstract, reports chemolithoautotrophic growth of Thermocrinis ruber OC 1/4 with these donors and oxygen in culture.
`sulfur_oxidation_drives_primary_production`	sulfur oxidation	contributes to Sulfur oxidation can contribute energy to carbon fixation in capable hot-spring Aquificales, as demonstrated for cultured CR11.	chemolithoautotrophic primary production	`PMID:19651724` Caldwell et al., species description on p. 342, reports CR11 chemolithoautotrophy with reduced sulfur and CO2 as a carbon source.
`hydrogen_oxidation_drives_primary_production`	hydrogen oxidation	can drive Hydrogen oxidation provides energy for inorganic carbon fixation in high-temperature hot-spring communities.	chemolithoautotrophic primary production	`PMID:15671178` Spear et al., Abstract, supports an inferred hydrogen-based energy budget, not a measured universal carbon-fixation rate.
`primary_production_fixes_inorganic_carbon`	chemolithoautotrophic primary production	involves Chemolithoautotrophic primary production involves inorganic carbon fixation. CR11 demonstrates this capacity in culture, without establishing the organic-carbon concentration of its source water.	inorganic carbon fixation	`PMID:19651724` Caldwell et al., species description on p. 342, lists CO2 among CR11 carbon sources and explicitly reports chemolithoautotrophy. The same isolate can also use organic carbon; isolate capability is not a measurement of community production or source-water carbon.

Associated taxa

Taxa reported from this habitat, which is weaker than being characteristic of it. rank is out of pool: a high rank in a pool of thousands of near-tied scores is a weak claim. Entries corroborated by a second, independent source are listed first.

Taxa reported from this habitat
Taxon	Source	Rank	Pool	Corroborated
Thermoflexibacter ruber `NCBITaxon:1003`	PREGO	1	243	MADIN
Caldisphaera lagunensis DSM 15908 `NCBITaxon:1056495`	PREGO	21	243	MADIN
Anaerobranca californiensis DSM 14826 `NCBITaxon:1120989`	PREGO	24	243	MADIN
Caldanaerobius fijiensis DSM 17918 `NCBITaxon:1121256`	PREGO	25	243	MADIN
hydrotalea_sandarakina `NCBITaxon:1004304`	MADIN	—	371	PREGO
Caldicellulosiruptor acetigenus DSM 7040 `NCBITaxon:1121259`	MADIN	—	371	PREGO
Carboxydocella sporoproducens DSM 16521 `NCBITaxon:1121270`	MADIN	—	371	PREGO
Deinococcus murrayi DSM 11303 `NCBITaxon:1121383`	MADIN	—	371	PREGO
Desulfomicrobium thermophilum DSM 16697 `NCBITaxon:1121412`	MADIN	—	371	PREGO
Desulfotomaculum hydrothermale Lam5 `NCBITaxon:1121428`	MADIN	—	371	PREGO
Elioraea tepidiphila DSM 17972 `NCBITaxon:1121861`	MADIN	—	371	PREGO
Ferrithrix thermotolerans DSM 19514 `NCBITaxon:1121881`	MADIN	—	371	PREGO
Eisenibacter elegans DSM 3317 `NCBITaxon:1121902`	MADIN	—	371	PREGO
Hugenholtzia roseola DSM 9546 `NCBITaxon:1121903`	MADIN	—	371	PREGO
Meiothermus cerbereus DSM 11376 `NCBITaxon:1122221`	MADIN	—	371	PREGO
Meiothermus taiwanensis DSM 14542 `NCBITaxon:1122222`	MADIN	—	371	PREGO
Porphyrobacter cryptus DSM 12079 `NCBITaxon:1122970`	MADIN	—	371	PREGO
Pseudoxanthomonas taiwanensis DSM 22914 `NCBITaxon:1123031`	MADIN	—	371	PREGO
Rubritepida flocculans DSM 14296 `NCBITaxon:1123072`	MADIN	—	371	PREGO
Silanimonas lenta DSM 16282 `NCBITaxon:1123253`	MADIN	—	371	PREGO
Thermithiobacillus tepidarius DSM 3134 `NCBITaxon:1123368`	MADIN	—	371	PREGO
Thermoanaerobacter uzonensis DSM 18761 `NCBITaxon:1123369`	MADIN	—	371	PREGO
Thermodesulfobacterium hveragerdense DSM 12571 `NCBITaxon:1123372`	MADIN	—	371	PREGO
Thermodesulfovibrio hydrogeniphilus DSM 18151 `NCBITaxon:1123374`	MADIN	—	371	PREGO
Thermodesulfovibrio islandicus DSM 12570 `NCBITaxon:1123375`	MADIN	—	371	PREGO

Showing 25 of 46 kept associations.

Also called

Thermal springs — GOLD
hot springs — PREGO
hotspring — ENVO
spring — ENVO
thermal feature — PREGO
thermal features — PREGO
thermal spring — ENVO
thermal spring — PREGO
thermal springs — PREGO

Curation

What a curator decided about this record, and why. A record built from several source concepts can carry one decision per concept.

GROUND 2026-08-12 · claude-opus-5
Grounded to ENVO:00000051 'hot spring' (EXACT). GOLD's Aquatic > Thermal springs. ENVO:00000051 hot spring is the exact concept. (source concept habitatmech:GOLD.f0e9ce4655)
REVIEW 2026-08-15 · claude-opus-5
Reviewed and endorsed the seeder's own resolution. Co-attestor review (#12): this source names the ontology CURIE itself, so its grounding is definitional rather than a lexical guess — the record IS the term the source pointed at. Recorded so the record it co-attests can reach REVIEWED, which needs every source concept decided. (source concept habitatmech:MADIN.6b7cf1e5bd)
REVIEW 2026-08-15 · claude-opus-5
Reviewed and endorsed the seeder's own resolution. Co-attestor review (#12): this source names the ontology CURIE itself, so its grounding is definitional rather than a lexical guess — the record IS the term the source pointed at. Recorded so the record it co-attests can reach REVIEWED, which needs every source concept decided. (source concept habitatmech:PREGO.8ba649bff9)
ADD_CAUSAL_GRAPH 2026-09-04 · codex
Added a hot-spring thermophile chemolithoautotrophy graph backed by PMID:30038374, PMID:15671178, PMID:9758770, PMID:31276280, PMID:19651724, and PMID:11256505.
UPDATE_CAUSAL_GRAPH 2026-10-03 · codex
Corrected hot spring graph node and predicate semantics and bounded cited evidence scope; addresses #1238. Identity, parents, parameters, taxa, and mapping status unchanged.

Provenance

Generated by scripts/seed_from_sources.py from the committed inventories in data/raw/. View the record.