MICROORGANISMS

These organisms are very small and are not visible

to the unaided eyes.

Microorganisms can live in all kinds of environment ,

ranging from ice cold climate to hot springs and ranging from ice cold climate to hot springs and

deserts to marshy lands.

They are found in air , water ,soil and in the bodies

of plants and animals.

MICROORGANISMSAll of the living things, plant and animal, in earth's environmental communities of forests,

deserts, tundra, water, air, and all of the rest depend on the crypto biotic crust or micro biotic

layer in the soil. This is the layer of soil that most microbes live in. These microbe communities

are made up of fungi, cyanobacteria and lichens. They look like a grayish cover on the ground

when they are first forming, but do form in clumps of lichen that look like little hills after about

50 years of growth.

The cyanobacteria called Nostoc helps lichen

produce food during photosynthesis.

CLASSIFICATION OF MICROORGANISMS

Microorganisms can be unicellular like Amoeba or

multicellular like Rhizopus.

Microorganisms are classified broadly into 4 groups:

i. Bacteriai. Bacteria

ii. Algae

iii. Protozoa

iv. Fungi

BACTERIA

BACTERIA

ROD -SHAPED

BACTERIA

This is a Magneto-

tactic bacteria

and produces the

mineral

Magnetite. The

magnetite act as

a natural magnet.

Bacteria are part of a very large group of

single-celled organisms. There is one group of FILAMENTOUS

single-celled organisms. There is one group of

bacteria that have chlorophyll and use the

process of photosynthesis to produce their

own food. Bacteria that are parasites live

inside man, animals, and some plants causing

diseases. Some bacteria are aerobic, meaning

that they require oxygen in order to survive.

Other bacteria are anaerobes, meaning that

they do not require oxygen to survive.

Bacteria is moved by air and water currents,

and on any surface such as clothing, hands,

or any object. They move themselves by

using thin hair-like structures called flagella

or by wriggling.

FILAMENTOUS

BACTERIA

Filamentous

iron oxidizing

bacterium

ALGAE

PROTOZOA

FUNGI

FUNGIFungi is a group of simple plants that have no chlorophyll. There are some species of fungi that are single celled

organisms, and there are other kinds of fungi that are multi-cellular organisms. Fungi are made up of filaments

called hyphe that are stacked together from end to end. Some kinds of fungi live on land and other types of fungi

live in water environments. Since fungi has no chlorophyll, it can not make its own food. Some types of fungi lives

off of other organisms and are parasites, but other fungi species feed off of dead and decaying matter. A third kind

of fungi lives with other organisms and neither the fungi or the organism is hurt. This kind of relationship is called

positive symbiosis When reproductive hyphae cells are made by the fungus, a mushroom shape forms at the top.

The scientific name for the mushroom shape is the sporocarp. It has one purpose, that is to release reproductive

spores. The sporocarp is not part of the live fungi. Reproduction in fungi is sexual,

but the spores which contain the reproductive cells must somehow come in

contact with one another before fungi can reproduce.

Spores are released from the

underside of mushroom caps

during the reproductive cycle

of mushrooms

Hyphae

Trichoderma is a good

fungi, it attacks bad fungus

that destroys crops.

Witches Broom Fungi

attacks cacao trees

that produce chocolate

Fungus in caves

VIRUS

Viruses are non-living microscopic particles that attack healthy cells within living things. They do not have

the characteristics of living things and are not able to change food energy into chemical energy that the body

can use. Viruses are not alive, so they do not have a need for food like living organisms. Viruses do not have

an organized cell structure. They are so light that they can float in the air or water, be passed on to other

organisms if touched, and fit anywhere. The virus injects its own DNA structure into healthy cells where new

virus cells grow. Viruses can not reproduce by themselves like bacteria or cells. They must attach themselves

VIRUS

POLIO VIRUSto the cell membrane of animals, or cell wall of plants and inject

a part of their DNA into the cells of the host organism.. They do

this by using a hollow tube structure to puncture the cell

wall/membrane and pass its DNA into the cell. New virus cells

are incubated inside the invaded cell. Once the virus DNA

reproduces itself inside the cell, it uses the natural process of reproduces itself inside the cell, it uses the natural process of

osmosis to leave the cell. These new virus cells attach to other

healthy cells and infect them too.

Viruses like this

Plum Pox attack

plants and ruin

the fruit. It is

spread from plant

to plant by insects

like this green

peach aphid

Green peach aphid