BIOL 220 Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Commensalism, Biochemical Oxygen Demand, Parasitism
Lecture 16b
BIO 220
Functional Microbiology/ Food Webs
Functional Microbiology
oAll organisms depend, directly or indirectly on the presence of other organisms
oWithin a community, each population of organisms fills a specific niche
A set of conditions including habitat, resources and relations with other species
of the ecosystem that enable an organism to grow and reproduce
oOrganisms perform niche construction by shaping the biochemical dimensions of their
habitat
oThe role of microorganisms in all ecosystems was originally formulated by the Dutch
microbiologist Cornelius B. van Niel
He discovered anoxygenic photosynthesis
Two hypothesis of microbial ecology
Every molecule existing in nature can be used as a source of carbon or
energy by a microorganism somewhere
Microbes are found in every environment on Earth
oInteractions between microbes and their ecosystems include two main types of
processes
Assimilation
Process by which organisms acquire an element to build into cells
Dissimilation
Process of breaking down organic nutrients to inorganic minerals
Biomass
Bodies of living organisms
To obtain energy and materials for biomass, all organisms participate in the
food web
Levels of consumption are called trophic levels
Planktonic Food Webs
oMarine plankton interact with one another as producers and consumers in a foodweb
find more resources at oneclass.com
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Document Summary
Functional microbiology: all organisms depend, directly or indirectly on the presence of other organisms, within a community, each population of organisms fills a specific niche. Every molecule existing in nature can be used as a source of carbon or energy by a microorganism somewhere. Microbes are found in every environment on earth: interactions between microbes and their ecosystems include two main types of processes. Process by which organisms acquire an element to build into cells. Process of breaking down organic nutrients to inorganic minerals. To obtain energy and materials for biomass, all organisms participate in the food web. Planktonic food webs: marine plankton interact with one another as producers and consumers in a foodweb. Diagrams are often called spaghetti diagrams: phototrophic producers are called phytoplankton, note: actual food webs may be far more complex than expected. Many algal protists such as chrysophytes and dinoflagellates are mixotrophs.
