Microorganism Facts
Microorganisms are defined as organisms that can be seen by using magnifier only. Yeasts, molds, bacteria, algae all of them are included in microorganism. Viruses are also included in the category but they cannot live or reproduce on their own. Microorganisms are present in high populations in soil, the water we drink, the air we breathe in etc. They are responsible for recycling the huge masses of organic matter that is synthesized by plants. They oxidize ammonia to nitrate. All the microbes are single celled organisms. They are big time consumers as they consume almost everything.
Quick Facts: –
- Most of the people think that microbes are dangerous but they are not. Some of them are beneficial for our body.
- There are ten times more bacterial cells in your body than human cells but they are far smaller than human cells.
- Bacteria are the most abundant microorganism on the earth.
- Microbes were the first to evolve around three and a half billion years ago and they will be the last.
- They are vital to humans and environment as they play some important roles in the element cycles of earth.
- Sometimes we confuse germs and microbes with each other but they are not same.
- They generate at least half of the oxygen that we breathe.
- Oral microbes are fast. They take only 4 to 5 hours for them to double in number.
- The bacterium named as lactobacillus reproduces in milk and helps to convert milk into curd.
- Around 500 to 1000 different types of bacteria inhabit our mouth.
- Micro organism vaccines are dead or weekend microbes introduced into the body so that they can produce antibodies.
- Some microbes can make their own food similar to plants and are called autotrophic whereas some depend on other living organisms like humans and animals, are called heterotrophic.
