Team Mrs. Jackman: Pauleen, Aidan, Jacob, Rachel, Ashley, and Ethan
What is a Microbe and Where Can it be Found Living?
A microbe is a unicellular organism.
Microbes are the oldest forms of life on earth;some fossils date back to more than 3.5 billion years ago--when Earth was covered with oceans that reached boiling points, which was before dinosaurs.
Without microbes, we wouldn’t be able to survive because they help us eat and breath.
Our life isn’t necessary to sustain the lives of microbes--if we weren't alive, they would probably be just fine.
Understanding microbes is important to understanding the past and future of us and our planet.
Microbes can be found living almost anywhere; soil, water, air,animals, rocks, and plants. They can even be found living in places where we might think nothing could survive. For example, in the hot boiling waters of Yellowstone National Park, the microbes that live there eat hydrogen gas and sulfur, and breath hydrogen sulfide. Heat-loving microbes live in volcanic cracks, while others can live in the ice of Antarctica. Some are even found inside the stones of old cathedrals in Europe.
The mass of our body is bacteria, viruses, and fungi, which all add up to trillions of microbes, many of which can be found in our mouths. Millions of microbes live on our tongues.
Garden soil has thousands of different microbes. In one teaspoon of that soil has over one million bacteria, one hundred twenty thousand fungi, and twenty five thousand algae.
Microbes have been around for millions of years because they are able to adapt to their environments.
Some scientists say that bacteria lived on Mars because there was a rock that formed on Mars and hit Earth as a meteorite thousands of years ago that showed evidence of bacteria.
There are five different types of microbes; Bacteria, Archaea, Fungi, Protists, and Viruses.
Microbes assist us and other organisms by digesting food, helping plants grow, helping garbage decay, and adding more oxygen to the environment.
Microbes can either be found living together(colony) or individually.
Because they are so small, they cannot be seen with the naked eye so high powered microscopes are used.
If you were to compare the sizes of the following to a baseball stadium, the virus would be the baseball, the bacterium would be the pitcher's mound, and the cell would be the ball park. Types of Microbes
Archaea is a type of microbe; there are three main types of Archaea. There is Crenarchaeota which is able to tolerate extremes in temperature and in acidy. Also there is Euryarchaeota which produces methane and loves salt. There is also Korarchaeota which we do not know very much information about. Within these three main types of Achaea there are subtypes. These subtypes include Methanogens, Halophiles, Psychrophiles and Thermophiles. Carl woese discovered that archaea is different from bacteria in the 1970’s. Archaea look like little rods or balls they have flagella which stick out of their cell walls and guide the archaea. Archaea does not have a complete nucleus and most have a tough cell wall. Achaea eat many types of substances to get their energy such as hydrogen gas, carbon dioxide and sulfur. One type of Archaea uses the sun for its energy. Archaea live in hydrothermal vents and sulfuric waters. Archaea have a different type of amino acids and suger than bacteria and their membranes are different by they have different lipid structures and chain links. Archaea is a one celled organism (prokaryote). This is one of the earliest forms of life on earth.
Bacteria are unicellular organisms that can eat anything. They are responsible for creating vitamins. Some cause disease where as others are good for your health.
Fungi vary greatly throughout the world. They can be up to 3.5 miles wide. Theys started 2400 years ago by intrwining cells called hyphae. They are eukaryotic, but do not create energy from sumlight like plants do. We use the fungus yeast to make bread rise and to brew beer. It can also cause harmful diseases. Fungi can be single-cellular or multicellular. It eats whatever it is growing on. Fungi reproduce mainly asexually by budding, but can also produce sexually when two mating cells fuse together. They cannot move besides being carried by something. They live on your body, in your house, and anywhere that is slightly acidic. It does not need very much moisture to survive.
Several species of ants carefully tend and nurture fungi gardens. The ants cut up the leaves and feed them to the fungi which break down cellulose, making nutrients available for the ants.
Plants started co-evolving bacteria and fungi as a result of obstacles such as poor nutrient soil.
Protista are eukaryotic and are divided into four categories: Algae, which live in water and create most of the oxygen in the world. They are the base for the ocean’s food chain. Protozoa, who are the first animals, can eat fungi, bacteria and other protozoa. Slime molds, which are first independent cells, but then gather together to form one large mass which creeps slowly and devours all in its path. Water molds, which live in water, cause great infections and caused the Great Potatoe Famine in Ireland.
Green algae, which we see in ponds, are probably the ancesters of the modern plant. Plasmodium vivax, another type of protista is what causes malaria.
Viruses go into host cells in order to reproduce. They cause diseases and there is a debate as to weather or not they should be considered organisms. They have the ability to move genetic information from cell to cell, and therefore are useful for cloning DNA. They can be used for Gene Therapy.
Microbial Mergers
Microbial Mergers set up the way for more complex organisms. They aid digestion and we provide for them a stable, protected environment. Also, Microbial Mergers break down food molecules.
Tube worms live in the depths of the sea where there is no light and underwater volcanoes. Tube worms don’t have stomachs of mouths. They have billions of bacteria in them provide food for them. Their gills bring in oxygen, carbon dioxide, and sulfides and the bacteria turns them into food. The worms provide a safe home for the bacteria.
Lichens come about when algae and fungi merge. Fungi provide shelter and stability while algae provide food. They can survive drought easily and are like sponges that absorb fog, dew and humid air.Fungi feed themselves from organic materials and also feed by turning sunlight to energy by photosynthesis. Thousands of years ago fungi combined itself with algae and made lichens There are about 20,000 different kinds of lichens. They live in different places like on rocks, the arctic tundra, deserts, on bark and trees, and on buildings. Fungi and algae combine so they can survive cold and windy weather or the heat of the sun. The fungi keep the algae safe, and the algae creates food for the fungi. Sometimes the fungi and algae need each other to survive, but you can find them living independently.
There are major projects going on with algae. Dinoflagellates (a type of algae) live inside the body tissues of coral polyps. Coral polyps have their nutritional needs satisfied by catching organic matter that go past them. They also get food by being partners with chlorophyll which contains algae that get food from sunlight. The zooxanthelle convert the sunlight into energy using photosynthesis. The by- products are nutrients for the polyp hosts. The zooxanthelle supply slot of the polyp’s energy. In turn, the polyps give algae a protected, stable environment and the nutrients they need.
Plants struck deals with co-evolving bacteria and fungi in order to survive. Bacteria developed chemical tools to get nitrogen for the plants but they needed a sufficient amount of energy. There was an agreement between legumes and rhizobiums. The bacteria moved into the plant roots and produced the fixed nitrogen they need. Animals need nitrogen too so fungi called mycorrhizae made and partnership with other plants.
Leaf cutter ants nurture gardens of fungi in underground nests. Ants don’t have enzymes to digest leaves so they feed them to fungi which break up cellulose . Ants make nice, clean chambers for the fungi and even produce antibiotics . The fungi make swellings at the tips of their hyphae which are rich in proteins and nutrients so the ants eat them. The fungi need ants for reproduction.
Virus or Bacteria?
Viruses are very small and infect other cells. When viruses reach another living organism they infect the cells. Viruses are found everywhere where there are other cells. Viruses have DNA and outside of a host viruses cannot do anything. This genetic material is protected by a Capsid which is made of proteins and lipids and carbohydrates. Viruses can adapt and reproduce and have a metabolism. A Virus is a small group of genetic material and Viruses only exist to reproduce. When viruses find a host they take its genetic material and inject their genes inside of the host. The viruses infect the host. Viruses are tiny and fuse themselves to the cells membrane and relese their DNA in it.
Bacteria are germs that can make us sick and also coexist with us and only consist of a single cell. Bacteria can exist in extreme temperatures and Bacteria eat about everything and their genetic material is not stored in the nucleus. Bacteria are impossible to see with the naked eye and are one of the earliest life forms. There are Bacteria that look like rods or sticks and Bacteria makes its food from sunlight and gives off oxygen. Bacteria can be found almost everywhere.
Bacterium structure include a rigid cell wall, a thin cell membrane, cytoplasm (jelly-like material that holds the whole cell together), and a nucleus . The DNA is organized into chromosomes which are found in the nucleus. Extra bits of DNA called plasmids can be found floating in the cytoplasm. Bacteria also have ribosomes which are factory-like structures that copy DNA. Some have whip-like structures called flagella that they use to move with by propelling the flagella. Mitochondria provide energy inside cells of fungus, insects, and animals.Chloroplasts are in the cells and use sunlight inside of plants to make energy. Without them, living species could not survive. They have their own DNA and can also reproduce individually. Scientists think that mitochondria were independent prokaryotes that somehow found their way into cells. Chloroplasts were food, but found their way into cells and now plants have a use for them.
The structure of a virus (may or may not) have a spiky layer of proteins called an envelope, they also include protein coats over each organelle. Similar to bacterium, viruses also contain genetic material (RNA or DNA).
The main difference between the two is the way they reproduce. Bacteria reproduce by themselves while viruses take advantage of cells that will then reproduce for them. When Viruses reproduce, they insert their genetic material into a cell and essentially take full control over the cell by making it work as a factory to make more viruses. Once the cell has produced these viruses, it then dies and the viruses go on to infect and kill more cells. Pictures
What is a Microbe and Where Can it be Found Living?
A microbe is a unicellular organism.
Microbes are the oldest forms of life on earth;some fossils date back to more than 3.5 billion years ago--when Earth was covered with oceans that reached boiling points, which was before dinosaurs.
Without microbes, we wouldn’t be able to survive because they help us eat and breath.
Our life isn’t necessary to sustain the lives of microbes--if we weren't alive, they would probably be just fine.
Understanding microbes is important to understanding the past and future of us and our planet.
Microbes can be found living almost anywhere; soil, water, air,animals, rocks, and plants. They can even be found living in places where we might think nothing could survive. For example, in the hot boiling waters of Yellowstone National Park, the microbes that live there eat hydrogen gas and sulfur, and breath hydrogen sulfide. Heat-loving microbes live in volcanic cracks, while others can live in the ice of Antarctica. Some are even found inside the stones of old cathedrals in Europe.
The mass of our body is bacteria, viruses, and fungi, which all add up to trillions of microbes, many of which can be found in our mouths. Millions of microbes live on our tongues.
Garden soil has thousands of different microbes. In one teaspoon of that soil has over one million bacteria, one hundred twenty thousand fungi, and twenty five thousand algae.
Microbes have been around for millions of years because they are able to adapt to their environments.
Some scientists say that bacteria lived on Mars because there was a rock that formed on Mars and hit Earth as a meteorite thousands of years ago that showed evidence of bacteria.
There are five different types of microbes; Bacteria, Archaea, Fungi, Protists, and Viruses.
Microbes assist us and other organisms by digesting food, helping plants grow, helping garbage decay, and adding more oxygen to the environment.
Microbes can either be found living together(colony) or individually.
Because they are so small, they cannot be seen with the naked eye so high powered microscopes are used.
If you were to compare the sizes of the following to a baseball stadium, the virus would be the baseball, the bacterium would be the pitcher's mound, and the cell would be the ball park.
Types of Microbes
Archaea is a type of microbe; there are three main types of Archaea. There is Crenarchaeota which is able to tolerate extremes in temperature and in acidy. Also there is Euryarchaeota which produces methane and loves salt. There is also Korarchaeota which we do not know very much information about. Within these three main types of Achaea there are subtypes. These subtypes include Methanogens, Halophiles, Psychrophiles and Thermophiles. Carl woese discovered that archaea is different from bacteria in the 1970’s. Archaea look like little rods or balls they have flagella which stick out of their cell walls and guide the archaea. Archaea does not have a complete nucleus and most have a tough cell wall. Achaea eat many types of substances to get their energy such as hydrogen gas, carbon dioxide and sulfur. One type of Archaea uses the sun for its energy. Archaea live in hydrothermal vents and sulfuric waters. Archaea have a different type of amino acids and suger than bacteria and their membranes are different by they have different lipid structures and chain links. Archaea is a one celled organism (prokaryote). This is one of the earliest forms of life on earth.
Bacteria are unicellular organisms that can eat anything. They are responsible for creating vitamins. Some cause disease where as others are good for your health.
Fungi vary greatly throughout the world. They can be up to 3.5 miles wide. Theys started 2400 years ago by intrwining cells called hyphae. They are eukaryotic, but do not create energy from sumlight like plants do. We use the fungus yeast to make bread rise and to brew beer. It can also cause harmful diseases. Fungi can be single-cellular or multicellular. It eats whatever it is growing on. Fungi reproduce mainly asexually by budding, but can also produce sexually when two mating cells fuse together. They cannot move besides being carried by something. They live on your body, in your house, and anywhere that is slightly acidic. It does not need very much moisture to survive.
Several species of ants carefully tend and nurture fungi gardens. The ants cut up the leaves and feed them to the fungi which break down cellulose, making nutrients available for the ants.
Plants started co-evolving bacteria and fungi as a result of obstacles such as poor nutrient soil.
Protista are eukaryotic and are divided into four categories: Algae, which live in water and create most of the oxygen in the world. They are the base for the ocean’s food chain. Protozoa, who are the first animals, can eat fungi, bacteria and other protozoa. Slime molds, which are first independent cells, but then gather together to form one large mass which creeps slowly and devours all in its path. Water molds, which live in water, cause great infections and caused the Great Potatoe Famine in Ireland.
Green algae, which we see in ponds, are probably the ancesters of the modern plant. Plasmodium vivax, another type of protista is what causes malaria.
Viruses go into host cells in order to reproduce. They cause diseases and there is a debate as to weather or not they should be considered organisms. They have the ability to move genetic information from cell to cell, and therefore are useful for cloning DNA. They can be used for Gene Therapy.
Microbial Mergers
Microbial Mergers set up the way for more complex organisms. They aid digestion and we provide for them a stable, protected environment. Also, Microbial Mergers break down food molecules.
Tube worms live in the depths of the sea where there is no light and underwater volcanoes. Tube worms don’t have stomachs of mouths. They have billions of bacteria in them provide food for them. Their gills bring in oxygen, carbon dioxide, and sulfides and the bacteria turns them into food. The worms provide a safe home for the bacteria.
Lichens come about when algae and fungi merge. Fungi provide shelter and stability while algae provide food. They can survive drought easily and are like sponges that absorb fog, dew and humid air.Fungi feed themselves from organic materials and also feed by turning sunlight to energy by photosynthesis. Thousands of years ago fungi combined itself with algae and made lichens There are about 20,000 different kinds of lichens. They live in different places like on rocks, the arctic tundra, deserts, on bark and trees, and on buildings. Fungi and algae combine so they can survive cold and windy weather or the heat of the sun. The fungi keep the algae safe, and the algae creates food for the fungi. Sometimes the fungi and algae need each other to survive, but you can find them living independently.
There are major projects going on with algae. Dinoflagellates (a type of algae) live inside the body tissues of coral polyps. Coral polyps have their nutritional needs satisfied by catching organic matter that go past them. They also get food by being partners with chlorophyll which contains algae that get food from sunlight. The zooxanthelle convert the sunlight into energy using photosynthesis. The by- products are nutrients for the polyp hosts. The zooxanthelle supply slot of the polyp’s energy. In turn, the polyps give algae a protected, stable environment and the nutrients they need.
Plants struck deals with co-evolving bacteria and fungi in order to survive. Bacteria developed chemical tools to get nitrogen for the plants but they needed a sufficient amount of energy. There was an agreement between legumes and rhizobiums. The bacteria moved into the plant roots and produced the fixed nitrogen they need. Animals need nitrogen too so fungi called mycorrhizae made and partnership with other plants.
Leaf cutter ants nurture gardens of fungi in underground nests. Ants don’t have enzymes to digest leaves so they feed them to fungi which break up cellulose . Ants make nice, clean chambers for the fungi and even produce antibiotics . The fungi make swellings at the tips of their hyphae which are rich in proteins and nutrients so the ants eat them. The fungi need ants for reproduction.
Virus or Bacteria?
Viruses are very small and infect other cells. When viruses reach another living organism they infect the cells. Viruses are found everywhere where there are other cells. Viruses have DNA and outside of a host viruses cannot do anything. This genetic material is protected by a Capsid which is made of proteins and lipids and carbohydrates. Viruses can adapt and reproduce and have a metabolism. A Virus is a small group of genetic material and Viruses only exist to reproduce. When viruses find a host they take its genetic material and inject their genes inside of the host. The viruses infect the host. Viruses are tiny and fuse themselves to the cells membrane and relese their DNA in it.
Bacteria are germs that can make us sick and also coexist with us and only consist of a single cell. Bacteria can exist in extreme temperatures and Bacteria eat about everything and their genetic material is not stored in the nucleus. Bacteria are impossible to see with the naked eye and are one of the earliest life forms. There are Bacteria that look like rods or sticks and Bacteria makes its food from sunlight and gives off oxygen. Bacteria can be found almost everywhere.
Bacterium structure include a rigid cell wall, a thin cell membrane, cytoplasm (jelly-like material that holds the whole cell together), and a nucleus . The DNA is organized into chromosomes which are found in the nucleus. Extra bits of DNA called plasmids can be found floating in the cytoplasm. Bacteria also have ribosomes which are factory-like structures that copy DNA. Some have whip-like structures called flagella that they use to move with by propelling the flagella. Mitochondria provide energy inside cells of fungus, insects, and animals.Chloroplasts are in the cells and use sunlight inside of plants to make energy. Without them, living species could not survive. They have their own DNA and can also reproduce individually. Scientists think that mitochondria were independent prokaryotes that somehow found their way into cells. Chloroplasts were food, but found their way into cells and now plants have a use for them.
The structure of a virus (may or may not) have a spiky layer of proteins called an envelope, they also include protein coats over each organelle. Similar to bacterium, viruses also contain genetic material (RNA or DNA).
The main difference between the two is the way they reproduce. Bacteria reproduce by themselves while viruses take advantage of cells that will then reproduce for them. When Viruses reproduce, they insert their genetic material into a cell and essentially take full control over the cell by making it work as a factory to make more viruses. Once the cell has produced these viruses, it then dies and the viruses go on to infect and kill more cells.
Pictures
Videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A409yO-G1Mk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCfg3sywC7k