global impacts of microbes

Question 1

how bacteria plays a key role of nitrogen cycling?

Answer 1

essential for soil fertility (food production)
-availability of nitrates in soil is rate determining step in plant growth

Question 2

two examples of symbiotic relationship
-the HOFF
-leaf cutter ants

Answer 2

the hoff- survives by eating bacteria it farms on hairs on claws. the advantage to bacteria is crab provides shelter and limits exposure to high and low temperature extremes

leaf cutter ants- ants also cultivate bacteria on their bodies that produce metabolites with anti-fungal activity.

Question 3

examples of mutalistic relationships
-mycorrhizae
-rhizobium

Answer 3

mycorrhizae- fungal helps the growth of roots and provides food for fungas through photosynthesis
rhizobium- bacterium able to fix nitrogen. gain is shelter from predators/ food/ energy

Question 4

extremophiles archea
1) thermophiles and basophiles
2) marine organisms
3) psychrophiles
4) halobacterium
5) methanogens (not an extreme environemnt)

Answer 4

1) hot
2) survive high pressure in deep ocean
3) cold
4) salt places on earth
5) capasity to generate methane from carbon substrates e.g. wetlands, digestive tract of animals.
methanogens make methane in gut during fermentation.

Question 5

what are lithotrophs?

Answer 5

microoranganisms that uses inorganic compounds as electron donars to fix co2 and conserve energy for growth.