<span>d) archaea developed on the primitive earth when conditions were harsher which makes them more durable than more recently evolved bacteria.</span>
The unique lipids of archaea provide protection from the environmental factors and help the survival of the cell in the extreme environment.
The cell membrane in archaea lacks peptidoglycans which are found in the bacterial cells and their isoprenoid hydrocarbon side chain are linked to the glycerol-1-phosphate backbone via an ether bond while fatty acid side chains in bacteria and eukarya are linked to the sn-glycerol-3-phosphate backbone via an ester bond.
Thus, option B-the ether-linked fatty acids that make up archaea cell membranes are less likely to be damaged in harsh conditions than bacterial cell membranes is the correct answer.
