MICRB265 Lecture Notes - Hydrothermal Vent, Pompeii Worm, Human Microbiota
10 Apr 2014
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Document Summary
This summary describes the various symbiotic interactions that microbes have with other organisms in a multitude of environments. Although symbiosis" usually invokes an idea of happy communal living, the term here is simply descriptive of microbes living with other life, whether they benefit, cause damage to, or have no effect on their partners. The primary focus here is on human-microbe interaction, including the human normal flora and human pathogens. Chapter outline: general microbial interactions, symbiosis is defined as an association of two or more species of organisms. Symbionts can exist on surface of another organism, an ectosymbiont, or within another organism, and endosymbiont. Consortium is a more general term that describes any physical contact between two or more organisms: mutualism is a type of symbiotic relationship where both partners benefit from the relationship and are obligated to stay together. An example of a mutualistic relationship is the microorganisms living in the rumen of cattle.
