lecture 1) introduction and overview Flashcards
why are microbes better adapted than us?
microbes have been on the planet longer than us therefore they are better adapted
why are microbes important for water?
create clean water supply, wastewater treatment, pollution control, water contains pollutants (eg sewage and medical waste: most of the contraceptive pill is metabolised in body but some excreted - is this a link to lower sperm count?), herbicides and pesticides in water
why are microbes important in food security?
food supply, quality and quantity, enough food on the planet for everyone but not everyone can afford/available to them, fertile soil, global change in weather
what is the rhizosphere?
narrow region of soil directly influenced by root secretions and associated microorganisms
contains bacteria that feed off sloughed-off plants leading to plant growth and competition for resources therefore selective pressures
what is a rhizome?
continuously growing horizontal underground stem
puts out lateral shoots and adventitious roots at intervals
what is the difference between a carbon source and carbon sink?
carbon source: releases more C than it absorbs
carbon sinks: absorbs more C than it releases
(microbes can determine these)
why are microbes important in human health?
public health and infectious diseases, microbial challenges to health eg antibiotic resistance, biofilm infections
what is the only disease that has been globally eradicated due to vaccination?
smallpox
which is the next disease on the WHO hit list to globally eradicate by vaccination?
polio
what are some of the characteristics of the cholera outbreak in Yemen 2017?
bacteria in cholera is vibrio cholera
infectious disease, contagious, causes watery diarrhoea leading to dehydration and can be fatal
sewer system in Yemen stopped working after airstrikes in civil war
