two uses of microorgamisms in environment
Answers
Explanation:
Microorganisms play a critical role in the various biogeochemical cycles, as well as being a particularly important component of plant and soil ecosystems. They break down dead plant and animal tissues and make their nutrients, including carbon and nitrogen, available to support plant growth.
Explanation:
Did you know that there are more microorganisms in your body than there are people on Earth? We spend millions of dollars each year on anti-bacterial soaps and antibiotics to fend off germs, but, in fact, microorganisms play an essential role in human health and in the functioning of all ecosystems.
Microorganisms include viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, algae, and nematodes, in roughly decreasing order of size. They are the oldest form of life on Earth and are found virtually everywhere, from boiling hot springs deep in the Earth to the depths of the oceans to the Arctic. It is believed that the biological activity of microorganisms are responsible for producing sufficient amounts of oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere more than two billion years ago in order to support life.
Microorganisms play a critical role in the various biogeochemical cycles, as well as being a particularly important component of plant and soil ecosystems. They break down dead plant and animal tissues and make their nutrients, including carbon and nitrogen, available to support plant growth. There are generally between one and ten million microorganisms in each gram of soil; similar numbers occur on plants and animals.
Microorganisms play a similarly critical part within both animal and human bodies. Bacteria, for example, play an important role in digestion, helping to synthesize vitamin K and absorb certain nutrients; they also help convert bile and acids in the intestines. Some also help to prevent other, more harmful bacteria from invading the intestines or other areas of the body. Microorganisms normally found in animal and human bodies are referred to as “normal flora.”
The discovery of the role of microorganisms, or germs, in causing disease was the beginning of a revolution in health care. Although Anton van Leeuwenhoek first observed bacteria in the late 1600s, it was not until late in the 19th century that the germ theory of disease became generally accepted. The research of French scientist Luis Pasteur provided persuasive evidence that certain microorganisms were responsible for human illness. Among his other findings, he discovered three bacteria, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus and Pneumococcus, that can become pathogenic.
However, pathogenicity among microorganisms is an exception, not the rule. Considering the huge population of microorganisms in our environment and in our own bodies, it is a relatively rare occurrence that the symbiotic relationships become harmful. After all, microorganisms are neutral or have little to gain, in an evolutionary sense, from killing their host. As physician and microbiologist Lewis Thomas reminded us, ?The man who catches a meningococcus is in considerably less danger for his life, even without chemotherapy, than meningococci with the bad luck to catch a man.?
It is not completely understood why some immunological reactions occur. Symptoms of infection are the result of the immune system’s response to the presence of potential threats. Fever, for example, is part of the body’s natural defense mechanism; higher temperatures reduce the ability of viruses and bacteria to replicate. In most cases, the body’s immune system is very successful in preventing serious harm. Indeed, infections bestow a benefit on human health in building up the body’s immunity. In fact, over the last several decades as people have increased their use of antibiotics to treat routine infections, we have seen a serious unintended consequence – an increase in the number of microorganisms that are resistant to antibiotics and/or are difficult to treat.
Although modern science and medicine has made vast improvements in human, animal, and plant health, it is remarkable how much remains to be learned and understood. New infectious viruses appear from time to time, posing a threat to human health. The origin of some of these is unknown, and no one knows within an order of magnitude how many microorganisms actually exist.