Chapter 1

Microorganisms and their effects on living things

1.1
1.1 Classification of microorganism

Vocabulary
Microorganisms (also know as microbes) small living things that can only be seen through a microscope

 Can be found anywhere on Earth

Some microorganisms are useful to humans while others maybe harmful. There are various types of microorganisms.

There are 5 main group of microorganisms.

Bacteria

Fungi

Classification of microorganisms

Protozoa

Viruses

Algae

Viruses

Influenza virus

Polio virus

Viruses are the microorganisms

simplest

form

of

Viruses can only be seen using an electron microscope

 Viruses have various sizes ranging from 0.02m to 0.4m. (1 m = 0.001mm) It consists of strands of nucleic acid (DNA) which is protected by a protein coat.

Helical shape (tobacco mosaic virus)

polyhedral shape (adenovirus)

combination (bacteriophage)

 Viruses are non cellular organisms and do not have cytoplasm or organelles. The shapes of a virus can be either helical or polyhedral, or a combination of both. Viruses are non living things. They do not feed, respire or excrete. All viruses are parasites that may cause diseases.

 A virus can only grow and reproduce in living things (host) by duplicating itself.

Bacteria

Bacteria are microorganisms

very

small

unicellular 0.5 to

Bacteria have various sizes between 1.0m.

 Bacteria can be classified according to their shapes which are coccus, bacillus, vibrio and spirillum.

Spherical bacteria (Coccus)

Rod - shape bacteria (bacilli)

Comma bacteria (vibrios)

Spiral bacteria (spirillum)

 Bacteria reproduced asexually through binary fission

In a situation that is too hot, and without food or water, bacteria will form an inactive state called spore. Bacteria will remain in this spore state until the surroundings become suitable for reproduction.

 Bacteria can live as parasites, saprophytes or autotrophs to obtain nutrients. a) Parasitic bacteria obtain food from other living organism - these bacteria can cause diseases in animals and plants.
b) Saprophytic bacteria obtain food from dead organisms such as animal carcasses and rotting wood.

 Bacteria can live as parasites, saprophytes or autotrophs to obtain nutrients. c) Autotrophic bacteria can make its own food through photosynthesis. Can be found everywhere such as in water, air, soil, plants and animal.

Protozoa

Plasmodium

Amoeba

Protozoa are unicellular microorganisms Protozoa have various sizes between 250m. 5 to

 Amoeba does not have definite shape since its shape changes when it moves.

 Paramecium is oval in shape. Its shape is like a slipper.

Paramecium has tiny hairs called cilia. A paramecium uses cilia to move and to draw food into its body.

 Amoeba and paramecium reproduce asexually through binary fission

 Paramecium also carry out sexual reproduction through conjugation.

 Amoeba and paramecium live as saprophytes that obtain food from decomposes substances such as animal carcasses and rotting wood.

Plasmodium lives as a parasite in living organisms.

 Most protozoa thrive in most aquatic habitats on Earth, such as fresh water ponds or rivers and even in sea.
Some protozoa live in damp places like damp soil and in other living cell as parasites.

Algae
Algae are Unicellular microorganisms
or multicellular

Algae have various sizes between 10000m.

1 to

 Euglena are unicellular algae

Spirogyra are multicellular algae

 have structures like a plant cell such as cellulose cell wall, nucleus, cytoplasm and chloroplast.

Algae have has various shape

Diatoms

 Most algae reproduce asexually through binary fission

There are some algae that carry out sexual reproduction through conjugation such as Spirogyra

 All algae are autotrophs, that can make their own food through photosynthesis because the present of chlorophyll.

Can be found in water and damp areas that receive sunlight.

Fungi

Fungi are plant like organisms. Fungi have various sizes between 10 to 100 m.

 Fungi are plants that have cell walls and nucleic but they do not have roots, stem or leave.

Fungi have various shapes such as filament and sphere.

Mould (filaments shape)

 Mucor (mould) is made of a tiny filament called hypha

Bread mould

 Yeast is a spherical fungus and is made up of cells only

Encapsulated pathogenic yeast fungus

 Fungi breed through asexual reproduction by a) spore formation (mucor, mould)

b) budding process (Yeast)

Brewer's yeast (also known as Baker's yeast) with bud and bud scars

 Fungi are chlorophyll

simple plant that do not have

Live as saprophytes and parasites.

Live in dark and damp places.

Can be found on rotting things such as animal carcasses, on food such as bread and fruit, or tree bark .

Exercise
SPS 1.1 Discussion activity (pg 2 - 3) 1.2 Discussion activity (pg 4 - 5)