“SOIL MICROBIOTA”

Lab Assignment No. 2

Pharmaceutical Microbiology & Immunology I

By
Group No. 07
Luqman Khan (FA19-PHM-105)
Department of Pharmacy
COMSATS University Islamabad
Abbottabad Campus
Abbottabad-Pakistan
2020
 MICROBIOTA

Introduction: “Microbiota are "ecological communities of commensal, symbiotic and

pathogenic microorganisms" found in and on all multicellular organisms studied to date from
plants to animals”.

Microbiota include

 Bacteria,
 Archaea,
 Protists,
 Fungi,
 And viruses.

SOIL MICROBIOTA

Introduction: “Soil microorganisms are broadly defined as a group of microscopic life forms
that include bacteria, archaea, viruses, and eukaryotes like fungi”.

Soil microbiology is the study of microorganisms in soil, their functions, and how they
affect soil properties”.

CLASSIFICATION OF SOIL MICROORGANISMS

There are five different types of soil microbes. Soil microorganisms can be classified as:

 bacteria,
 actinomycetes,
 fungi,
 algae
 and protozoa.

Each of these groups has characteristics that define them and their functions in soil. Each of
these microbe types has a different job to boost soil and plant health.

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 ROLE AND IMPORTANCE OF SOIL MICROBIOTA

 Soil microbiota plays a key role in suppressing soil-borne plant pathogens improving the
natural soil suppressiveness.
 Microbiome disturbance triggers specific perturbation to change and shape the soil
microbial communities’ network for increasing suppression against phytopathogens and
related diseases.
 Very important goals have been reached in manipulation of soil microbiota through
agronomical practices based on soil pre-fumigation, organic amendment, crop rotation
and intercropping.
 Soil microbiome a key player for conservation of soil health under changing climate
 Maintenance of soil health is central to agricultural sustainability and a key factor that
reflects the productivity of agro ecosystems. However, at present the soil resources are
under severe threats from various anthropogenic activities including climate change.
 Plant-associated microbial communities stimulate the plant growth and increase their
resistance to various abiotic and biotic stresses.
 Linking the distribution of microbial diversity and ecosystem functioning is essential to
understand ecosystem responses to changing environment.
 Soil microbial taxa are imperative in relation to global climate changes as they play
important and undisputable roles in biogeochemical cycling, plant growth and carbon
sequestration.
 The manipulation of soil microflora can involve changes in microbial diversity and
microbial activities and it is carried out for practical purposes.
 The microbial diversity can be modified by the inoculation of beneficial
microorganisms into soil or by agricultural management practices.
 Indigenous soil microorganisms show a remarkable range of catabolic and anabolic
activities. In addition, they are able to degrade xenobiotics whose molecular structure
does not resemble that of naturally occurring compounds.

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REFERENCES

Sylvia, David M., Jeffry J. Fuhrmann, Peter G. Hartel, and David A. Zuberer. Principles
and Applications of Soil Microbiology. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 1998. Print.
Vieira (2020). "Bacterial colonization of minerals in grassland soils is selective and
highly dynamic". Environmental Microbiology. 22 (3): 917–933.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10531-019-01760-5

THANK YOU

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