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Bacteria
Bacteria
Archaebacteria
Both kingdoms of bacteria have species that are
microscopic; humans can’t see them unless we
stain them and then look at them under the
microscope.
Background
• Biologists have long
organized living things
into large groups called
kingdoms.
• There are six of them:
– Archaebacteria
– Eubacteria
– Protista
– Fungi
– Plantae
– Animalia
5 common characteristics used for
comparison among living organisms:
Methanogens
Thermoacidophiles
Halophiles
• They release methane
(CH4) as a waste product Methanogens
• Many live in mud at the
bottom of lakes and
swamps because it lacks
oxygen
• Some live in the intestinal
tracts of animals to help
break down food
• Others like to hang out in
the stomach
• Your intestinal gas is a
waste product caused by
bacteria in the body
breaking down the food
you eat—that’s why farts
don’t smell sweet!
Significance of methanogens
• They could play a role in
garbage/sewage cleanup
by having methanogens
eat garbage.
– The methane waste the
bacteria produce after
eating the garbage or
sewage could be used
as fuel to heat homes.
• Some landfills already
employ this method—the
only problem is that it’s
expensive.
Thermoacidophiles
• Live in the dark
• Live without oxygen
• Like to live in superheated water with
temperatures reaching 750 deg F
• Prefer environments that are very acidic (between
pH of 1-3)
• Live in a chemical soup of hydrogen sulfide (H 2S)
and other dissolved minerals (rotten egg smell)
Thermo = temperature
Acidophil = acid loving
The interior layers of the Earth are
made up of many different types of
Black Smokers metals (iron, copper). The black color is
caused by a chemical reaction of the
metals with the ocean water. In
extreme temperatures and pressures,
this is where some thermoacidophiles
like to live.
Other thermoacidophiles like to live in hot springs or
geysers. Hot springs are pools of hot water that have
moved toward earth's surface. The source of their
heat is the hot magma beneath and they can reach
temperatures as high as 400 degrees Fahrenheit
http://www.nps.gov/archive/yell/oldfaithfulcam.htm
Bacillus (rod-shaped)
Coccus (round-shaped)
Spirillum (spiral-shaped)
Obtaining Energy
• Most scientists classify bacteria based on
how they obtain energy:
Photosynthesizers
Chemoautotrophs
Heterotrophs
• A significant fraction
Photosynthesizers
of the world’s
photosynthesis is
carried out by
bacteria
• Cyanobacteria are
blue-green bacteria
that contain
chlorophyll in their cell
membrane
• Cyanobacteria are
thought to have made
the Earth’s oxygen
atmosphere
Chemoautotrophs
• Breakdown chemicals
found in the soil; they
use those chemicals
for nutrition
• The bacteria’s waste
products act as
fertilizer and helps
with agriculture
• A handful of soil can
have up to 10 billion
bacterial organisms
• Most types of
Eubacteria are
Heterotrophs
heterotrophic
• Together with
fungi, they serve
as primary
decomposers for
the environment by
releasing nutrients
back to the soil
after living things
have died.
Pathogenic Bacteria
• Your body is a treasure chest of wealth
just waiting to be discovered by bacteria.
• Bacteria have evolved various ways of
entering your body and taking what they
need in order to survive
• In some cases, the competition for the
resources in your body can result in you
becoming ill.
Bacteria are harmful in two ways:
1. #1 - Bacteria can
metabolize their host by
using different parts of
the body as their food
source.
Tuberculosis is a less
common bacterial
infection that attacks the
lungs of humans.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
is the bacteria that uses
the lung tissue as a food
source.
The warm, moist environment
allows the bacteria to
reproduce and populate
the lungs.
#2 - Bacteria cause disease by secreting chemical
compounds called toxins into their environment.