MICR 2420 Lecture 9: Lecture 9_biodiversity
12 May 2017
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Soil has a particular aroma due to streptomyces. Streptomyces: a major genus of soil bacteria, notable for the diversity of antibiotics they make: nematodes: microscopic worms that reside in the top 15 cm of the soil depicted - a nematode. Life support for vast numbers of microbes as well as terrestrial plants. Soil is one of the most diverse ecosystems on earth! Forms an elaborate partnership whereby the bacterial cells adapt to life within nodules to form a nitrogen fixing organ for the host plant. Leguminous plants: the nodules are pink since it has hemoglobin and absorbs oxygen and provides anaerobic conditions for bacteria in the root nodules, oxygen causes enzymes to fix nitrogen. All animals have an associated microbiota: ruminants rely on microbes for digestion of cellulose, eg. Termites: the termite gut is a source of wonder for many scientists, eg. Demodex mites: have such an efficient gut microbiota that they don"t need an anus!
