Microorganism Facts for Kids - Mocomi.com

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Micro-organisms

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Micro-organisms

MICRO-ORGANISMS

If you are put in an empty room with nobodyaround and are asked to point at a living being

apart from yourself you will probably say Stop

being silly. Well, think again.

There are tiny little organisms all around you,

which are so small that it is impossible to see

them with your naked eye. These are called mi-

croorganisms or microbes.

What???living

being,Nope!

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Micro-organisms

What exactly is a microbe?A microbe is the smallest andsimplest form of living being,

which can be seen only with

the aid of a microscope.

Microbes come is many differ-

ent shapes, sizes and varie-

ties. They can work alone or in

colonies. For example, an

amoeba can live alone in soli-tary bliss while fungi help each

other survive by working in

colonies.

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Micro-organisms

Most importantly, microbes make up the largest number

of living organisms on the planet. There are a million

upon billion upon trillion microbes around the world.

Microbes

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Micro-organisms

Some of these can make their

own food, like plants do and are

called autotrophic.

Some depend on other living or-

ganisms for food like humans and

animals do and are called hetero-

trophic.

Micro-organisms can reproduce

sexually or asexually.

autotrophic

heterotrophic

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Micro-organisms

WHERE DO MICRO-ORGANISMS LIVE?

No climate is too hot or too cold for micro-organisms andno place is too wet or too dry. They can make a home in the

North Pole as well as in a geyser. They can live in a rock or

in the deepest part of an ocean.

Glacier

Cir

que


.com

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Micro-organisms

Microbes called extremo-philes have been isolated

from rocks as much as seven

kilometres below the Earths

surface.

It has been suggested that

the amount of living organ-

isms below the Earths sur-

face may be equivalent withthe amount of life above the

surface.


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Micro-organisms

These extremophiles have been known to survive for a

prolonged time in a vacuum, and can also be resistant to

radiation, which means they also might be able to survivein space.


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Micro-organisms

Many types of micro-organisms

have intimate symbiotic relation-

ships with other larger organisms;

some of which are mutually benefi-

cial, while others can be damaging

to the host organism. Some micro-

organisms can cause disease in ahost and are known as pathogens.

pathogens


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Micro-organisms

MICRO-ORGANISMS OUR FRIENDS

We all love to eat curd, but have you ever thought of how it

is made? The answer is micro-organisms. The bacterium

called lactobacillus reproduces in milk and helps convert

milk into curd. Micro-organisms are also useful in other

food-making processes like brewing, winemaking, bakingand pickling.

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+ =


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Micro-organisms

M i c r o -

organisms are

vital to humansand the environ-

ment, as they par-

ticipate in the

Earths element cycles such as the carbon cycle and nitro-gen cycle, as well as fulfilling other vital roles in virtually all

ecosystems, such as recycling other organisms dead re-

mains and waste products through decomposition.


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Micro-organisms such as bacteria decompose organic

waste into manure and increase the fertility of the soil.

Micro-organisms

manure


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They are also used for making

medicines. When you have flu

or viral fever and you go to

the doctor, you are usually

given medicines called antibi-

otics.

These are made with the help

of micro-organisms. Some

bacteria and fungi are used

to make these medicines

which kill or stop the growth

of disease causing micro-

organisms.

Micro-organisms

antibiotics


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vaccin

es

Vaccines are dead or weakened microbes introduced into

the body to produce antibodies. These antibodies protect

the body from disease causing microbes. Diseases like

polio, cholera, typhoid, small pox, hepatitis etc. can be pre-

vented by taking vaccines.

Microbes are also essential tools in biotechnology, bio-

chemistry, genetics, and molecular biology.

Micro-organisms


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MICRO-ORGANISMS TO BEWARE OF

Just like micro-organisms are helpful to human beings andthe environment they can also be harmful. Some micro-

organisms called pathogens cause diseases in plants and

animals.

There are some micro-organisms which grow in food sub-stances and produce toxic substances making the food

poisonous, causing illness and even death.

Micro-organisms

micro-organisms


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There are many micro-organisms which you would want tokeep out of your house because they spoil materials like

clothing, leather, wood etc.

Micro-organisms can also be the cause of many infectious

diseases.

The organisms involved include pathogenic bacteria that

causes diseases such as plague, tuberculosis and an-

thrax; protozoa, causing diseases such as malaria and

also fungi causing diseases such as ringworm.

Micro-organisms


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Disease causing micro-organisms called pathogens enter

our body through air, water, food, contact or insects.

They spread communicable diseases, which can spread

from an infected person to a healthy person.

Some insects and animals act as carriers of disease caus-

ing microbes.

For example a housefly can carry malaria causing mi-

crobes while a mosquito can carry the microbes thatcause dengue fever.

Micro-organisms


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PROJECT

Anton Van Leeuwenhoekdiscovered the first mi-

crobe in 1675. Can you

find out how he did this?

Micro-organisms

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Microorganism Facts for Kids - Mocomi.com