MBIO 3280 Lecture 2: Introduction
11 Sep 2017
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Widespread distribution: easily dispersed, can be transferred by air, as well as spores, humans, and physical objects, diverse, phenotypical, and genotypic, present for > 3 billion years. Abundance: small size but large numbers, estimated that 1 hectare of fertile soil 15 cm deep has 1000kg of microbes (mostly bacteria and fungi) Adaptable: fast growth rates allow reproduction to large numbers, fast adaptation to environment through molecular regulation. Survival: long times with minimal energy requirements, some go into dormant forms, extreme environments, hydrothermal vents, sea ice, desert. Microbial population: groups of cells derived from a single parent cell via cell division. Habitat: physical location (ie. environment) in which microbial population lives. Interacting multiple populations: diverse and abundant, controlled by resources (foods) and conditions (ie. abiotic factors) Mixed populations work together: microbes with different metabolic functions work together to carry out novel activities, microbes function as communities, rather than individual cells, exchange of chemical signals lets them communicate with one another.
