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The first source I found about microbes in nature was an article on the microbiomes of trees.
Much like people, trees each have a unique microbiome that covers their surface and around their
roots. These microbes are naturally present in the soil but different concentrations of them form
to create suitable environment for trees. In my research I looked at cottonwood trees, and their
migration to higher altitudes. As the planet warms, the cottonwood, which requires a very
specific climate and a lot of water, is slowly migrating to higher elevations. At first, scientists
were not sure why or how the trees were migrating with no signs of coordinated movement or
environmental signs pointing to migration. Researchers found that the soil where the trees were
migrating to was primed for baby tree growth. The tree microbiome is composed of different
bacteria, and fungi.
On growing soil microbes
1. Actinomycetes
a.
i. Actinobacteria are one of the oldest and most distinctive phyla of the
bacterial taxonomic tree. They evolved in a speciation event from
firmlocites and are known for their complicated hyphae structures that
they work together to form. Actinobacteria break down compounds in the
soil that other microbes cannot but they can only do so in high PH
environments, low PH environments call for fungus to decompose
complicated compounds. Actinobacteria also produce antibacterial
compounds under the right conditions and most of our medicine is made in
part by actinobacteria.
b. You can find these on growing roots in trees, and plants. Active colonies of
actinobacteria look like little nubs at first, eventually turning stringlike. Though
they are hard to find, swabbing a tree root will likely culture actinobacteria.
c. Actinobacteria are easy to grow on yeast agar. You can get them either by doing a
soil suspension, or by swabbing a clean tree root. However, it is best to culture
them alone because they do have the tendency to produce antibiotic compounds
that work against both fungi and bacteria.
d. These microbes are used by humans to create medicine. My placing this microbe
with a pathogenic one, and optimizing conditions for actinobacteria, it produces
compounds to eliminate competition. It does this by cooperating between cells.
e. They behave like a multi celled organism, they string together to perform different
functions in prime conditions to form hyphae, which are normally found on fungi.
f. They will look like white fading to purple as they form hyphae on the agar plate.
2. Nitrifying bacteria
a.
i. Nitrifying bacteria (in particular the bacteria Nitrobacter) are a part of the
phylum proteobacteria. They are chemoautotrophic, meaning that they get
their energy by converting compounds into ATP, photosynthesizing
bacteria need energy from the sun in order to turn carbon dioxide and
water into ATP and oxygen, chemoautotrophs like nitrifying bacteria get
their energy and the chemicals necessary for chemical decomposition from
chemicals.
b. Nitrifying bacteria are red, and rodlike. They do not cooperate between
individuals and are not seen in organized structures.
c. Unfortunately, nitrifying bacteria require precise conditions to be grown in a lab.
For starters, they need an ammonia based agar in order to survive and reproduce.
Additionally, nitrifying bacteria would thrive on an ammonia based agar, but any
other microorganism would die instantly without a nutrient base to sustain
themselves. Agart would not work with this bacterium.
d. These microbes convert unusable nitrogen like ammonia, into nitrogen fertilizer
like nitrate. Humans use this bacteria to make fertilizer. This bacteria is a key to
healthy growing soil and it is incredibly hard to cultivate crops without this
bacteria present in the ground.
e. Much of Iowa’s soil has been artificially seeded with nitrobacter bacteria. Years
and years of soil nutrient depletion by over farming left the bread basket’s soil
almost not arable.
f. They would look red, and they would grow in little dots on an agar plate.