What is a microorganism? Micro – very small; organism – living thing. A very small, living thing

What is a microorganism?

Micro – very small; organism – living thing.

A very small, living thing.

Let’s look at examples of

microorganisms.

Bacteria

Bacteria are single-celled organisms (made of one

cell).

They are found everywhere.

Bacteria come in three shapes.

Round (coccus)

Rod (bacillus)Spiral (spirillum)

Some are producers.

(Producer – makes own food)

Other bacteria are consumers.

(Consumer - Has to find food and eat it.)

Beneficial uses of bacteria.

Provide nitrogen for plants. Fixes the soil (changes the nitrogen to a form the plant can use).

Get minerals from ores.

Beneficial uses of bacteria.

Used to make plastics and laundry detergents.

Help make antibiotics.

Beneficial uses of bacteria.

Yogurt

SauerkrautPickles

Olives

Beneficial uses of bacteria.

Chocolate

CheeseSoy Sauce

Vinegar

Ketchup

Why Swiss Cheese Has Holes

.

Harmful effects of bacteria.

Cause Diseases (<1% of bacteria cause diseases)

Three ways to get disease. Through air (breathe in). Through touch. Eating contaminated food.

Harmful effects of bacteria.

Examples of bacterial diseases. Dental caries (cavities). Strep throat. Salmonella. Typhoid fever.

Harmful effects of bacteria.

Causes disease in farm animals.

Causes metal to rust and wear away.

Click here for Bacteria Eating the Titanic

.

Can Bacteria Get Sick

?

How to prevent diseases.

Vaccinations.

Antibiotics.

Wash hands after using bathroom or whenever dirty.

How to prevent diseases.

Cook food properly.

Store food properly.

Cover mouth when sneezing, coughing.

Click here for Germs.Click here for How Dirty are Bathrooms

?Click here for the Proper way to Use TP

.

Click here for the Surprise Toothbrush

.

Click here for the Five-Second Rule

.http://videos.howstuffworks.com/university-of-florida/4112-nuke-your-sponge-video.htm

Click here for How Bacteria Become Drug Resistant

.

When you see a pond, you see

a lot of life!

Photo source: Hobo’s Pond B&B

Much of it, you can’t see!

Photo source: Hobo’s Pond B&B

It’s too small for you to see.

To see it, you will need a microscope.

This is the world of the protozoan

(protist).

Photo source: University of Winnipeg, Dr. Simmons’ protist webpage

Note: All protists live in water.

Photo source: University of Winnipeg, Dr. Simmons’ protist webpage

Let’s examine three different examples of protozoans.

The Amoeba

The amoeba is among the most primitive of all

organisms.

The amoeba has an irregular shape.

(In other words, its shape always

changes.)

It moves using a pseudopod (false foot).

It’s clear (you can see through it).

The amoeba is a consumer.

The Amoeba

Staples High School, West Port, CT, Mr. Lazaroff’s webpage

The Paramecium

The paramecium is an oval shaped protozoan.

It moves using tiny hair-like appendages

called cilia.

It is a pale, translucent color.

It is a consumer.

Biology Teaching & Learning Resources - Biological Drawings: Protista. Paramecium

The Paramecium

The Euglena

The Euglena is an oval-shaped protozoan.

It moves using a tail-like structure

called a flagellum.

The Euglena is green.

It is primarily a producer, but can be a consumer.

The Euglena

Click here Monsters Inside Me: Eaten From The Inside Out

.

Algae

Algae can be microscopic to 150 feet long.

Source: Scribemedia.orgc

Algae are producers.

Source: http://bennettkids.homestead.com/mrsbennetthome.

html

Algae are an important food

source for sea life.

Source: eFuse.com

Algae provide over 50% of the oxygen

we breathe.

Benefits of AlgaeUsed in …

livestock feed. cosmetics. prescription drug production. identifying possible

environmental problems

Benefits of AlgaeFood Production

Sushi Ice cream Salad dressing Syrup (thickener)

Fungi

Consumer. Must find and eat food.

Eats by absorbing food.

Decomposer Feeds on and breaks down dead

plant or animal matter.

Can be from single-celled to largest organism alive.

Can’t move.

Examples. Mushrooms. Truffles.

A mushroom like fungus that grown underground; primarily found in Europe; a highly valued food.

Lichen Fungus often found as white

or yellow patches on old walls, etc.

Benefits of FungiUsed to make chemicals used in

manufacturing.

Produce antibiotics (example – penicillin).

Clean the environment.

Benefits of Fungi

Food production. Cheese Mushrooms Yeast Truffles Soy sauce 

Click here HowStuffWorks Show:

Bread Making.

Harmful Effects of Fungi

Causes 70% of all crop diseases.

Diseases in humans. Respiratory (lung) diseases

(example – pneumonia). Athlete’s foot. Ringworm (makes a raised round

circle that looks like it was caused by a worm).

When is Cheese Mold Good or Bad

?

The presentation ends here.