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Microbes and their Impact on the Earth's Environment

This article explores the role of various microbes in the Earth's environment, including their contributions to the sulfur cycle, nutrient recycling, disease transmission, and regulation of climate and greenhouse gases.

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Microbes and their Impact on the Earth's Environment

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  1. Silicibacter pomeroyi • Breaks DMSP (dimethysulfoniopropionate) down to make DMS (sulfur compound that increases sulfur supply in the atmosphere) • In the atmosphere, DMS oxidizes into sulfuric acid and methanesulfuric acid • DMS and DMSP draws in water molecules and forms clouds, which regulates the climate system • Spreads the radiation coming from the sun http://www.nature.com/nrmicro/journal/v3/n3/thumbs/nrmicro1479-f1.jpg

  2. Thiomargarita namibiensis • Microbe which is visible to the human eye; as big as a period at the end of a sentence. • Sulfide-eating bacteria which removes poisonous gases from the ocean making the water clean for marine life. • Recycling of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur are necessary to maintain the Earth’s environment and the life it supports. http://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Image:T_namibiensis1.gif

  3. Brucella melitensis • Can cause Brucellosis, a fatal disease that affects mainly animals like goat and sheep. • Bacteria can transfer to humans through contaminated or poorly or unpasteurized milk and cheese. • Bacteria serves as primary microbial decomposers which is necessary in the recycling of nutrients. http://staff.vbi.vt.edu/pathport/pathinfo_images/Brucella_abortus/Brucella_melitensis_colonies.JPG

  4. Symbiodinium microadriaticum • Symbiodinium is a bacteria that is unicellular and has circular shape. • The bacteria found in the coral takes in light and oxygen from the water and the bacteria then lower the carbon dioxide in the the water.

  5. Prochlorococcus marinus MIT 9313. Image courtesy of Claire S. Ting, Department of Biology, Williams College.<http://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Prochlorococcus> Photosynthesizes to grow Regulates population with viruses or phages Base of food web (everything eats it) Many throughout water column*; greatly harvests carbon dioxide and releases oxygen (about two times more carbon dioxide in atmosphere without Prochlorococcus marinus) Prochlorococcus marinus

  6. Prochlorococcus • The Prochlorococcus is important to the earth because it accounts for half of the photosynthesis on the earth. • It removes twice as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than all the land bound autotrophs. http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?p=prochlorococcus&fr=yfp501&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8

  7. Emiliana huxleyi • Phytoplankton • Autotrophic • Calcium carbonate platelets or coccoliths surround the exterior of the cell • Coccolith blooms are highly reflective, reflecting light and heat back into space, rather than heating the ocean • Draws CO2 out of atmosphere, uses it to produce coccoliths, then it sinks to the bottom of the ocean, reducing greenhouse gasses (http://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Emiliana) http://planetearth.nerc.ac.uk/images/uploaded/medium/Calcareous_phytoplankton-m.jpg http://www.soes.soton.ac.uk/staff/tt/

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