Ecological diversity of Microorganisms

This chapter discusses the various sources of microorganisms that can contaminate food, including plants, animals, air, soil, sewage, water, humans, and equipment. Microbes can be present on the surfaces of plants and animals or in soil, water, or from human handling. Common pathogens that may contaminate foods include bacteria, viruses, and parasites from fecal contamination of soil, sewage, water, or direct contact with infected humans or animals. Proper hygiene, sanitation, food handling and processing are important to prevent contamination and growth of microbes in foods.

This document discusses waste water treatment methods. It covers organic matters found in water like natural organic matter from plant and microbial sources, and anthropogenic organic matter from human sources. It then discusses various waste water treatment methods like physical, chemical and biological methods. The physical methods include sedimentation, aeration and filtration. The chemical methods include chlorination, oxidation and neutralization. The biological methods include aerobic and anaerobic processes using microorganisms. It also discusses preliminary waste water treatment steps like primary treatment using gravity settling to separate solids and liquids.

Food spoilage is caused by the growth of microorganisms like bacteria, molds, and yeasts on foods. When microbes contaminate foods, they can cause undesirable changes through their waste products or physical presence, making foods unsuitable for consumption. Common signs of spoilage include offensive smells, mold growth, and changes in color or texture. Proper food handling and storage helps prevent or slow down spoilage by controlling factors like temperature, moisture, and nutrients that microbes need to grow.

Sewage or wastewater contains water and solids separated from various sources like domestic, industrial, and stormwater runoff. It contains pathogens and organic material. Treatment aims to remove solids, reduce biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and eliminate pathogens through primary, secondary, and sometimes tertiary processes. Primary treatment removes 50% of solids and 25% of BOD through settling. Secondary treatment further reduces BOD through microbial degradation. Sludge from primary treatment is anaerobically digested by microbes to produce methane and reduce pathogens before disposal or reuse. Disinfection with chemicals or UV light is sometimes applied before releasing the treated water.

Nepal faces challenges from liquid waste due to lack of proper management systems. Using the DPSIR framework, the document analyzes the drivers, pressures, state, impacts and responses regarding liquid waste in Nepal. The main drivers include population growth, urbanization and lack of public awareness. Pressures stem from agriculture, industries and changing consumption patterns. The state of liquid waste management has caused issues like eutrophication and pollution of rivers. Impacts involve health, environmental and economic problems. Responses from the government include policies, treatment plants and campaigns to address liquid waste management in Nepal.

carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane production have a tremendous impact on climate change, microbes play a key role in the production and control of these gases

The document discusses energy budgets at multiple levels - for ecosystems, organisms, and a specific example of the Mallard duck. An energy budget tracks energy inputs, outputs, storage and transfers within a system. For ecosystems, the main input is sunlight which plants convert to chemical energy through photosynthesis. Energy is lost through respiration, heat and lower trophic transfers. Organisms' energy budgets track food intake, storage, expenditure on functions and whether a net gain or loss results. The Mallard duck's annual budget allocates 30% to basic functions, 25% to foraging, 15% each to migration and reproduction, and 10% to maintenance.

Trickling Filter A trickling filter is a type of wastewater treatment system. • A trickling filter , also called trickling biofilter, biofilter, biological filter and biological trickling filter , is a fixed-bed, biological reactor that operates under (mostly) aerobic conditions.

Why to control microbes? To prevent transmission of disease. To prevent the spoilage of food i.e preservation of food

Desulfovibrio are sulfate-reducing bacteria that use sulfate as an electron acceptor during anaerobic respiration. They are curved rod-shaped, gram-negative bacteria found in organic-rich anoxic environments. Desulfovibrio reduce sulfate to hydrogen sulfide during metabolism, which can be used to precipitate heavy metals and aid in bioremediation of wastewater.

Bioaccumulation is the gradual build up of chemicals in an organism over time through uptake from the environment and storage in tissues. Uptake occurs through activities like eating, drinking, breathing and skin contact, while storage deposits chemicals in organs or tissues. Certain chemicals that bind tightly, like mercury, can accumulate even if water soluble. Biomagnification further concentrates chemicals as they move up the food chain, potentially harming top predators. While bioaccumulation aids nutrient acquisition, it can also be detrimental depending on the chemical and organism.

The document discusses biofilms, which are complex aggregations of microorganisms that grow on surfaces in aquatic environments. Biofilms form when bacteria adhere to a surface and excrete a glue-like substance. They are found in places like rocks, water environments, living tissues, and industrial settings. Biofilms pose challenges for human health and industry because they are resistant to antibiotics and cause fouling. However, biofilms can also be beneficial in applications like water treatment. The document outlines the structure, formation process, impacts and threats of biofilms as well as some preventive measures and references on the topic.

The document discusses microbial ecology and the composition of soil as an environment for microorganisms. It notes that soil is a complex ecosystem containing a vast array of microbes, plants, and animals. The lithosphere is composed of weathered rock, humus, and nutrients. The rhizosphere around plant roots contains associated bacteria, fungi, and protozoa. Microbes play important roles in soil, including nutrient provision, decomposition, nitrogen fixation, and preventing pathogens. Bacteria, actinomycetes, and fungi are the dominant microbial groups in soil and influence processes like nutrient cycling and plant growth.

The document discusses how microorganisms adapt to various environments. It notes that microbes can adapt to changing conditions within and between hosts through various strategies. These include producing proteins and enzymes to adapt to different temperatures, pH levels, salt concentrations, and other environmental factors. The document also describes several types of extremophiles that have adapted to survive in extreme environments through strategies like accumulating salts to balance osmotic pressure.

Wastewater treatment uses microorganisms like bacteria, protozoa, fungi, algae, and small invertebrates to break down organic matter in wastewater. These microbes convert wastewater contaminants into less harmful substances. Bacteria play the most important role in wastewater treatment by consuming organic matter. Other microbes like protozoa and rotifers help clarify the water by feeding on bacteria. The stabilization of wastewater is accomplished biologically using a variety of microorganisms in a wastewater treatment plant.

The document discusses aquatic microbiology and water microbiology. Aquatic microbiology is the study of microorganisms in aquatic environments like lakes, rivers, and oceans, while water microbiology relates specifically to microorganisms in drinking water. The scope of aquatic microbiology is wide and includes plankton, benthic organisms, microbial mats, and biofilms found across various aquatic habitats.

The document discusses microbiology related to food and water. It describes how food and water can become contaminated with microorganisms from various sources like soil, food handlers, and animal hides. This contamination can lead to food spoilage, foodborne illness, and waterborne diseases. The document outlines various bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can cause diseases when ingested through contaminated food or water. It also discusses methods used to study and control microorganisms in food and water to prevent diseases.

Lecture notes

Oligotrophs are organisms that can live in nutrient-poor environments. They are characterized by slow growth, low metabolism, and low population density. Examples include certain bacteria, fungi, and microbes found in deep ocean sediments, caves, glacial ice, aquifers, and leached soil. These oligotrophic environments have very low concentrations of nutrients. Oligotrophs have adaptations like high surface area to volume ratio and resistance to environmental stresses that allow them to acquire nutrients in nutrient-poor conditions. They can also enter dormant states during starvation and undergo cellular changes like reductive division for survival. Specific oligotrophic environments discussed include Antarctica, Crooked Lake, and deeper oligotrophic

Microbes live in nearly every habitat on Earth and have adapted to survive in even the most extreme environments. They play important roles in ecosystems, industrial processes, food production, and the human body. While some can cause disease, many microbes provide benefits like decomposing organic matter, fixing nitrogen, and producing food items and chemicals. Their small size allows microbes to thrive nearly everywhere and they remain largely undiscovered due to their microscopic scale.

Microbes play an important role in bioremediation by using their enzymatic activity to destroy pollutants or transform them into less harmful forms. During their normal metabolic processes, microbes can break down toxic compounds and convert them into simpler, non-toxic molecules. Bioremediation harnesses microbes' natural degradation abilities to clean contaminated sites using biological rather than physical or chemical methods. This approach is often more cost-effective and environmentally friendly compared to excavating and disposing of polluted soils and water.

This document provides an overview of key concepts in ecology, including important terms like habitat, species, population, community, ecosystem, niche, biome, and biosphere. It discusses abiotic factors like temperature, sunlight, rainfall, and humidity and how they influence organisms and ecosystems. It also covers biotic factors and interactions between species, including competition, predation, symbiosis (commensalism, mutualism, parasitism). The document discusses how organisms adapt to environmental changes and provides examples of structural, behavioral, and physiological adaptations.

Microbes inhabit diverse environments across terrestrial, aquatic, and other organism habitats. They thrive in conditions ranging from very cold to extremely hot and can tolerate limited water, high salt, and low oxygen. Microbes in soil break down organic matter and are sensitive to environmental factors like carbon dioxide, oxygen, pH, moisture, and temperature. Aquatic microbes live in both fresh and salt water and are adapted to their environment. Microbes also live symbiotically on other organisms, with relationships that can be mutualistic, commensalistic, or parasitic. Microbes play important roles in biogeochemical cycles like carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus cycles that recycling nutrients. Bioremediation uses microbes to degrade poll

This document discusses the concepts of habitat and niche, specifically for soil microorganisms. It defines habitat as a specific physical space occupied by an organism, while niche refers to an organism's functional role in an ecosystem. The document provides examples of how microenvironments and niches are created for microorganisms based on chemical gradients and resource availability in very small physical spaces. It emphasizes that microorganisms can influence and create their own microenvironments and niches, such as within colonies or by associating with clays.