Microorganisms

1. Microorganisms Modified by Georgia Agriculture Education Curriculum Office June, 2002

2. Microbes • too small to be seen with the naked eye • aggregations or colonies can be seen without the aid of a microscope

3. Microbes • are found almost anywhere • are more abundant than any other life form • they are forms on which all others depend.

4. Recycle elements required for life • N - Nitrogen • O - Oxygen • P - Phosphorus • S - Sulfur • C - Carbon

5. Microbes produce • food • fuel • air

6. 4 major categories • bacteria • fungi • protists • viruses

7. Pathogens • disease causing agents • AIDS - Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome • Botulism - food poisoning • Tuberculosis • Polio

8. Pathogens • Typhoid FeverSyphilis

9. Disease • Microbes cause disease by directly damaging tissues and weakening bodily functions or by producing toxins that do.

10. Pathogenic microbes • the proportion of pathogenic microbes on earth is very small

11. Producers • produce carbohydrates • break down starch into sugar • convert sugars into alcohol

12. Water Dwelling microbes • algae and bacteria • largest producers of carbon containing compounds through photosynthesis

13. Some microbes • are unable to take in Carbon Dioxide from the air. • They get Carbon from bicarbonate in the water

14. Ion • an atom that carries a positive (+) or a negative (-) charge • carries the charge because it has gained or lost one or more electrons

15. Microbes use CHO’s (carbohydrates) • synthesized during photosynthesis (Ps) to make cell structures and as an energy source • Provide food for larger organisms • Replenish Oxygen supply

16. Single Celled Fungi • Yeasts • Producers in wine making, bread baking or beer brewing. • Convert sugar to alcohol in fermentation process

17. Cheese Making • bacteria convert lactose (milk sugar) to lactic acid

18. Contribute to production • of food and other substances by their enzymes

19. Enzymes • organic molecules that speed up biochemical reactions without being used up or becoming part of the end product. • A catalyst - causes a reaction to take place

20. Examples • foods • medicines • vitamins • leather processing • textile production

21. Decomposers and Recyclers • world’s greatest recyclers • Keep elements like C and N cycling through the environment • Used to treat sewage, clean up toxic wastes, processing materials

22. Recyclers • more than one type of bacterium is needed to convert atmospheric N into a form useable by plants. • Requires three different chemical reactions.

23. Production through decomposition • Methane - decomposition of organic matter • Methanogens - swampy areas, land fills, digestive tract of ruminants.

24. Production through decomposition • Linen fabric is made from flax stems • Stems are immersed in water • Bacterium digests pectin that makes the stalks stiff

25. Linen Fabric Production • remainder is washed dried and spun into thread and then woven into fabric

26. Basic features of MO’s (microorganisms) • 4 major groups • bacteria, fungi, protists, viruses • Viruses are not made up of cells and are not considered organisms by many microbiologists.

27. Bacteria, fungi and protists • have a cellular structure, a membrane surrounding cytoplasm

28. Protists • have an inner compartment nucleus • DNA in non circular chromosomes • unicellular or multicellular • protozoans, algae, others resemble fungi

29. Fungi • have cellular structure • non circular chromosomes • in fungi with many cells, walls between cells are sometimes not complete • cytoplasm and nuclei can stream from one cell to another within slender filaments of cells called hyphae

30. Fungi • have cellular structure • non circular chromosomes • in fungi with many cells, walls between cells are sometimes not complete

31. Fungi • cytoplasm and nuclei can stream from one cell to another within slender filaments of cells called hyphae

32. Yeasts • unicellular

33. Molds • have many cells

34. Fungi • visible to the naked eye • mushrooms • bracts • puffballs • toadstools

35. Viruses • not cellular • particles made up of nucleic acid and protein • Include short length of DNA or RNA - never both!

36. Viruses • On their own they cannot reproduce at all • Inject their nucleic acid into a host cell

37. Viruses • Injected DNA or RNA tricks host cell into using the viruses chemical instructions to make substances needed for the virus to reproduce

38. Viruses • Host cell is damaged when newly reproduced virus particles break out of cell (lyse)

39. What does it take to keep a microbe alive? • Lots of variation in environmental and nutritional condition requirements

40. Nutritional needs • energy sources • basic elements to make and replace cell structures

41. Heterotrophs • organic compounds to meet energy needs • Carbon source to make own organic molecules • get energy from sugars, starches, fats and other organic compounds

42. Saprobes • live in soil, get nutrients from dead organic matter • Clostridium botulinum - botulism, food poisoning

43. Autotrophs • build their own organic compounds if they have an available source of inorganic compounds

44. Phototrophs • generate their own food using sunlight and inorganics such as carbon dioxide

45. Chemotrophs • don’t require sun • get energy from carbon dioxide, salts, water and others

46. Nitrosomonas bacteria • live in soil • use ammonia (NH4) as energy

47. hetero, chemo and phototrophs • use energy from the environment • light and heat energy from the sun • energy stored in chemical bonds or organic or inorganic compounds

48. Six major elements in cells • C - Carbon • H - Hydrogen • N - Nitrogen • O - Oxygen • P - Phosphorus • S - Sulfur

49. Also - • K- potassium • Ca - Calcium • Fe - Iron • Na - Sodium

50. Trace elements • Co - Cobalt • Zn - Zinc • Mo - Molybdenum • Cu - Copper • Mn - Manganese • Si - Silicon