Microorganisms in the environment
Microorganisms Definition
“Microorganisms are single-celled organisms that are invisible to the naked eye.”
What are microorganisms?
Microorganisms are minute, unicellular organisms that are invisible to the naked eye.
They are also known as microorganisms or microscopic organisms as they can only be
seen under a microscope. They make up almost 60% of the earth’s living matter.
The term “Microorganisms” is used to describe several different life forms with
different sizes and characteristics. A few of these Microorganisms include:
● Bacteria
● Fungi
● Protists
● Viruses
● Archaea
Microorganisms can be useful as well as harmful. Certain Microorganisms cause
severe infections and diseases and can also spoil food and other materials. While
others play an important role in maintaining environmental balance.
Bacteria
● Bacteria are unicellular, microscopic, prokaryotic microorganisms that contain
no true nucleus
Fungi
● These can be unicellular and cannot synthesise their own food.
● Yeasts, moulds, and mushrooms are some of the important fungi.
● They decompose dead plants and animals, extracting nutrients from them.
What is Protozoa?
Protozoa are unicellular, eukaryotic, heterotrophic organisms. They are either
free-living or parasites.
What are Algae?
Algae exist in environments ranging from oceans, rivers, and lakes to ponds, brackish
waters and even snow. Algae are usually green, but they can be found in a variety of
different colours.
Food Chain: Introduction
A food chain explains which organism eats another organism in the environment. The
food chain is a linear sequence of organisms where nutrients and energy is
transferred from one organism to the other. This occurs when one organism
consumes another organism. It begins with the producer organism, follows the chain
and ends with the decomposer organism. After understanding the food chain, we
realise how one organism is dependent upon another organism for survival.
Food Web:
Several interconnected food chains form a food web. A food web is similar to a food
chain but the food web is comparatively larger than a food chain. Occasionally, a
single organism is consumed by many predators or it consumes several other
organisms. Due to this, many trophic levels get interconnected. The food chain fails to
showcase the flow of energy in the right way. But, the food web is able to show the
proper representation of energy flow, as it displays the interactions between different
organisms
Microorganisms and decay
Harmful Microorganisms
There are a number of microorganisms that are responsible for food spoilage,
diseases and infections. Such microorganisms are known as harmful microorganisms.
Bacteria are the most dangerous of all microorganisms and are responsible for
several infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, cholera, diphtheria, etc.
A decomposer is an organism that decomposes, or breaks down, organic material
such as the remains of dead organisms. Decomposers include bacteria and fungi.
These organisms carry out the process of decomposition, which all living organisms
undergo after death. Decomposition is an important process because it allows
organic material to be recycled in an ecosystem.
Function of Decomposers
Decomposers play an important role in every ecosystem. Without decomposers, dead
organisms would not be broken down and recycled into other living matter. The
reason decomposers decompose, however, is simply because they need to survive.
Decomposers are heterotrophic, which means they get their energy from ingesting
organic material. A dead organism provides nutrients for decomposers like bacteria
and fungi to use in order to grow and reproduce, propagating their own species. The
side effect of this basic need to survive is that organic material and nutrients are
cycled throughout the ecosystem as other organisms consume the bacteria and fungi.
