LESSON: 2

MICROORGANISMS –FRIEND AND FOE

1. What are microorganisms?

Ans. Organisms that are so small that they can only be seen through a microscope are
called microorganisms or microbes. The study of microorganisms is known as
microbiology. Most microorganisms can be found in almost any kind of environment –
hot desert, polar ice caps, and salt water and marsh lands and inside other organisms.
2. What are the different kinds of microorganisms?
Ans.There are five major groups of micro-organisms. They are as follows:
1. Bacteria
2. Algae
3. Protozoa
4. Viruses
5. Fungi
3. Describe the role of Rhizobium in maintaining soil fertility?

Ans.Rhizobium bacteria are present in the nodules of the roots of leguminous

plants. It is capable of converting the atmospheric nitrogen into soluble
nitrogenous compounds called nitrates. After harvesting, when the roots
decompose, the nitrates present in the root nodules mix with the soil and thereby
increasing soil fertility.

4. What are biological nitrogen fixers?

Ans. Some bacteria and blue green algae are able to fix nitrogen gas from the
atmosphere to enrich the soil with nitrogen compounds and increase its fertility.
These microbes are called biological nitrogen fixers.

5. How do microbes keep the environment clean?

Ans.Microorganisms decompose dead organic waste of plants and animals by

converting them into harmless simpler substances which mix up with the soil.
Some bacteria decompose sewage and other waste in water. In this way they help
to keep the environment clean.

6. What are communicable diseases?

Ans.Microbial diseases that can spread from an infected person to other healthy
persons through air, water, food, direct contact or by animals are called
communicable diseases. Eg.Cholera, common cold, chicken pox, tuberculosis

7. Carrier or Vector

The insect (or other animal) which transmits disease –causing micro –organisms in
humans (without itself suffering from them) is called a carrier

Eg: Female Anopheles mosquito acts as the carrier of malarial parasite

plasmodium.

Female Aedes mosquito acts as carrier of Dengue Virus.

8. Making medicines and vaccines:

 Bacteria and fungi are used to make medicines called antibiotics.

 The first antibiotic, penicillin was discovered by Alexander Flemming using
the fungus penicillium.
 Some common antibiotics are streptomycin, Erythromycin, tetracycline and
terramycin.
 Microbes are used to make vaccines. Vaccines are weakened or dead germs
introduced into the body. They offer protection against diseases like
tuberculosis, polio etc. by producing anti- bodies.

9. Nitrogen Cycle:-

The cyclic process of nitrogen being fixed, used by plants and animals and later
return to the atmosphere is known as nitrogen cycle.

· The nitrogen is an inert gas but it is an important component of protein, nucleic

acids (DNA, RNA) and some other compounds.

· The nitrogen in the atmosphere is fixed into nitrogen compounds like nitrates
and nitrites in the soil by some nitrogen fixing bacteria which can be free living or
symbiotic (present in the root nodules of leguminous plants).
· During lightning, under high pressure and temperature Nitrogen is converted
into oxides of nitrogen. These oxides dissolve in water to give nitric and nitrous
acid and fall on the land with rain water.

· Plants take up nitrates and nitrites and convert them into amino acid and later
protein and some other important complex compounds are also made.

· These protein and amino acid is later consumed by animals.

· Once the animal and the plant dies bacteria of the soil converts the compounds
of nitrogen back to nitrates and nitrites.

· Some other bacteria convert nitrates and nitrites into elemental nitrogen.

Steps of Nitrogen Cycle:-

1.Nitrogen Fixation: -Conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into water soluble

compounds like nitrates and nitrites either by free living bacteria or Rhizobium or
by blue green algae or by lightning.

2. Ammonification:-Conversion of nitrogenous compounds (Protein / Nucleic acid)

to ammonia by death and decay of plants and animals. Animals also give out little
amount of Ammonia during excretion.

3. Nitrification:-Ammonia is converted first into nitrites by nitrosomonas bacteria

and then into nitrates by nitrobacter bacteria .These both are nitrifying bacteria
and this process is called nitrification.

4. Denitrification: Part of the nitrites and nitrates of the soil are acted upon by
pseudomonas bacteria.-When animals or the plants dies, denitrifying bacteria in
the soil convert the nitrate into nitrogen gas
In this way the cycle gets repeated again and again. Thus the percentage of
nitrogen in the atmosphere remains more or less constant. The nitrogen cycle is
called a perfect cycle because the amount of nitrogen which is getting converted
into different forms and the amount which is released back into the atmosphere
remain constant.
10. What are the precautions to be taken while taking antibiotics?
11. What do you mean by food poisoning?

12. What is nitrogen fixation?