Microbes in Ecosystem (Lab info included)

Question 1

Autotrophs

Answer 1

Self-producing organism that can feed themselves, uses carbon dioxide as their main carbon source

Question 2

Chemoautotroph

Answer 2

Type of autotroph that relies on oxidizing organic compounds for both energy and nutrients. e.g. methanogens

Question 3

Photoautotroph

Answer 3

Uses light as energy to process the inorganic compounds to make into nutrients

Question 4

Methanogens

Answer 4

Autotroph. Uses hydrogen as energy source where it takes inorganic carbon (carbon dioxide) into their biomass. Can only be found in deep sediments of the soil as it is an anaerobic organism

Question 5

What is the final output of methanogens?

Answer 5

Methane

Question 6

What is the final acceptor of methanogens?

Answer 6

CO2

Question 7

Where else can methanogens thrive in?

Answer 7

In the gut microbiome. Methanogens gives advantage for protists hosts

Question 8

Heterotrophs

Answer 8

Needs to ingest organic carbon source as their energy and is not self-sufficient like autotrophs

Question 9

Methanotrophs

Answer 9

Eats methane and produces CO2 through oxidizing methane. These microbes contain the enzyme called methane monooxygenase (MMO) which takes oxygen and joins it to methane to create methanol.

Question 10

How and why are MMO is used for the environment?

Answer 10

MMOs have non-specific substrate range, meaning it can oxidise other organic molecules (Co-metabolism) as long as those molecules are relatively similar to methane. It can metabolise a common pollutant called TCE (trichloroethylene). TCE is similar to methane and the difference is the presence of chlorine. TCE can be commonly found in pesticides and insecticides.

Question 11

Decomposers

Answer 11

Organisms that ingests dead organisms to turn them into useful nutrients. The carbon left in the dead organisms is organic carbon that decomposers eat and use as a source of energy and carbon.

Question 12

Predators

Answer 12

Protists that hunts for their preys. Most protists feed on other protists or other organisms but here are detritivores

Question 13

3 types of predators

Answer 13

1. Ciliates
2. Flagellates
3. Amoebae

Question 14

Example of photosynthetic and predatory organism

Answer 14

Euglena

Question 15

Coral-agal symbiosis

Answer 15

It is the interactions between heterotrophs (coral) and autotrophs (algae). Coral have two organisms living in them, the first is the host cell which is an animal from Cnidaria family and the other is the symbiont algae in them. The symbiotic relationship isn’t very strong as algae can be expelled from the coral. The algae converts CO2 into sugar and the Cnidaria eats the sugar and converts it into CO2

Question 16

Lichen symbiosis

Answer 16

Symbiosis between fungus and algae situated on a tree bark or a rock. In this case the fungus provides the algae with CO2 and eats sugar while algae eats CO2 and provides the fungus with sugar

Question 17

Bioremediation

Answer 17

Many kinds of microbes grow on hydrocarbons that are larger than methane-like or TCE-like pollutants. Industries use biological agents to clean up contaminated sites. It is aimed to oxidise organic carbon into CO2. Another type of heterotrophs, eats fossilised organic carbon. There are bacteria that specialise in eating these kinds of hydrocarbons: benzene, toluene, octane, etc

Question 18

Examples of microbes in ecosystem

Answer 18

1. Bacillus subtilis (NA)
2. Seratia marcescens (NA)
3. Pseudomonas fluorescens (King B)
4. Streptomyces coelicolor (Yeast Mannitol)
5. Penicillium (SDA)
6. Aspergillus (SDA)

Question 19

What sort of factors do you think would impact on the number of microbes present in a particular location?

Answer 19

humidity/moisture (more moisture favors the growth of fungi), light exposure intensity (darker environments favor the growth of fungi), and wind (the dispersal of pores from fungi to reduce competition)