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Environmental Microbiology. Key points:. Microbes give us access to nutrients Nitrogen fixation. Microbes rarely live alone Biofilms. Some microbes can do some far out chemistry Mining bacteria. Nature of ecosystems. Energy flow. 3. Rule of 10. Microbes Recycle Key Elements.
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Key points: Microbes give us access to nutrients Nitrogen fixation Microbes rarely live alone Biofilms Some microbes can do some far out chemistry Mining bacteria
Nature of ecosystems Energy flow 3
Nitrogen Fixing Bacteria Nitrifying Bacteria(Nitrosomonas, Nitrosococcus, Nitrobacter, Nitrococcus) NH4+ --> NO3- Denitrifying Bacteria include Thiobacillus denitrificans, Micrococcus denitrificans Paraoccus denitrificans and Pseudomonas NO3 --> N2 9
Nitrogen fixation Nodules N2 + 6 H+ 6 e- --> 2 NH3 Reaction is oxygen sensitive Cyanobacteria Azotobacteraceae Rhizobia (Rhizobium meliloti) Bradyrhizobia Frankia
Sulfur Cycles Sulfate Reduction SO4-2 --> SO3-2-->S Sulfur Reduction S -->H2S Sulfur Oxidation S -> SO4-2 Desulfobacterales Desulfovibrionales Syntrophobacterales Desulfuromonas, Proteus Beggiatoa, Paracoccus 11
Air as an Environment Determining Microbial Counts Controlling Microbial counts 14
Soil as an Environment Components Microbes 15
Microbes Are Everywhere! In the soil
Soil Influential Factors Soil Pathogens 17
Water as an Environment Freshwater 18
Microbes Live Together In biofilms in pipes
Biofilms Your shower …………. Dental plaque …………. almost any moist surface …………... There are five stages of biofilm development . initial attachment irreversible attachment maturation I maturation II dispersion
More biofilms Catheter Staph aureus biofilm
Water Environments Marine 22
Water Purification Procedures 24
Coliform Tests Membrane Test MUG Test 25
We Use Existing Microbes To treat sewage
Other Microbial Treatments Septic Tanks 29
We Use Existing Microbes To clean up oil spills
We Use Existing Microbes To leach ores
Thiobacillus ferrooxidans A tiny rod-shaped bacterium known as Thiobacillus ferrooxidans gets energy by oxidizing some inorganic materials such as sulfide-containing minerals. As the bacteria metabolize, they release acid and an oxidizing solution of ferric ions, which can wash metals right out of ore. The copper and gold industry quickly and enthusiastically put this discovery to work.
We Modify Microbes To protect plants from pests Bacillus thuringensis Delta endotoxin protein
We Modify Microbes To clean up toxic waste = bioremediation TNT, plastics PCBs