Microbes in the Ecosystem

Types

• Types of microbes in the ecosystem include bacteria, fungi, algae and protozoa. Bacteria are found in every imaginable ecosystem. They have adapted to live in boiling water, frozen ground, acidic volcanoes and in the ocean. Their activity is largely based on temperature and moisture content. Fungi, on the other hand, are uncommon in aquatic environments, but live mostly in the soil. Fungi are made up of fine, branching networks of strands called "hyphae." Protozoa are single celled eurokaryotes. They live to prey on bacteria in oceans and lakes. Flagella or cilia allow them to move through the water. Algae live in aquatic environments and assist in the production of oxygen.

Importance

• Microbes provide many important functions in the ecosystem. Without microbes, entire ecosystems would fail. Microbes are needed to break down dead materials. Because microbes need certain elements to grow and reproduce, they also serve as an indicator of balance and health in the ecosystem. They are involved in many soil and water processes that could not take place in an unhealthy ecosystem. Microbes may play an important role in the future of organic farming. Microbes from the ocean can be used as biofertilizers that enhance the nutrient quality of the soil and lessen the impact of chemical fertilizers, making for more sustainable farming practices.

Functions

• Half of the oxygen produced on earth is produced by trees in the rainforest. The other half is produced by microbes in the ocean. These oxygen-producing microbes are also known as blue-green algae. Microbes also work to turn nitrogen in the atmosphere into a usable form. Aside from aiding air functions, microbes work as recyclers of dead materials. Microbes penetrate and break down dead material, allowing it to decompose. Responsible for evolution, microbes such as bacteria bring on the evolution of new species by weeding out the weak and allowing the strong to survive. Their parasitic nature allows them to cause diseases that remove a weaker species from the ecosystem.

Relationships

• Microbes form symbiotic relationships with other organisms in the ecosystem. Both humans and animals could not digest food without the assistance of microbes. Microbes assist plant development by fertilizing the soil through decomposition. They also help plants to absorb nutrients. The microbial diversity in aquatic ecosystems not only produces oxygen for the planet, but they also provide a source of food for life in oceans, lakes and ponds.