In hypersaline environments bacteri

In hypersaline environments bacteria are exposed to a high osmotic pressure caused by the surrounding
high salt concentrations. Halophilic microorganisms have specific strategies for balancing the osmotic
pressure and surviving in these extreme conditions. Halophilic fermentative bacteria form taxonomically
and phylogenetically a coherent group mainly belonging to the order Halanaerobiales. In this review,
halophilic anaerobic fermentative bacteria in terms of taxonomy and phylogeny, special characteristics,
survival strategies, and potential for biotechnological applications in a wide variety of branches, such as
production of hydrogen, are discussed.