Microorganisms Essay -- Biology, Bacteria, Biotechnology

Microorganisms play an important role in our life: helps us to digest our food, decompose wastes and participate in various life cycles. They are diverse and have adapted to inhabit different environments including extreme conditions, such as hot vents under the ocean to ice caps; hence known as extremophiles. There are more microorganisms present in us than there are cells, and the various microorganisms are bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa. Many people associate microorganisms as death and diseases causing agents; also frequently compared to dirt. Although some microorganisms are responsible for causing diseases, most microorganisms’ original hosts are not the human body so are not pathogenic, but commensal. This essay will discuss the numerous beneficial microorganisms that carry out processes in biotechnology, agriculture, industries and environment; necessary to sustain life. First of all, essential uses of microorganisms are seen in the environment, as they play a vital role in many of the nutrient cycles. For instance, carbon fixation from the atmosphere during the carbon cycle by autotrophic bacteria, such as cyanobacteria; synthesizes organic molecules for other organisms and release oxygen for our consumption. In addition, microorganisms are vital participants of the food chain since they act as decomposers; breaking down dead organisms and organic materials and releasing minerals for uptake by living organisms and CO2 back into the atmosphere for photosynthetic organisms. Microorganisms, known as methanogens, influence the carbon cycle by converting CO2 in their cells to methane and releasing it into atmosphere; thus increasing methane concentration whereas methanothrophs consume methane from the atmosphere, lead... ...ate minerals from ores containing low-levels of minerals (Hofkin, 2010). Microorganisms have been beneficial to humans in the past too - the Weil-Felix test for typhus. A patient infected with Rickettsia prosecute will have antibodies to this bacterial species circulating in their blood which can bind to Proteus OX19, harmless soil bacterium. Physicians used to diagnose typhus by mixing patient's blood serum with Proteus OX19, positive test for typhus is confirmed when Proteus OX19 is clumped together (Hofkin, 2010). Overall, microorganisms are vital for life on Earth and are more than disease causing agents. Few microorganisms are pathogenic, but many more has an important role in various ecological and industrial processes, maintaining human health; and every day new discoveries are made that shows microorganisms are crucial for scientific advances to be made.