Microbial Diversity

ENGBIO1
INTRODUCTION TO BIOTECHNOLOGY

Chemical Engineering Department

Gokongwei College of Engineering
De La Salle University
Types of Microorganisms
Tree of Life
Types of Microorganisms

Microbes come in different forms

and thrive in an amazing diversity
of habitats in extremes of heat,
cold, radiation, pressure, salinity,
acidity, and darkness, and often
where no other life forms could
exist.
 Cell adaptation to the environment
Temperature
• Psychrophiles can grow below 20oC
e.g. Leifsonia rubra isolated from Antarctica
• Mesophiles grow between 20oC -50oC
important uses in food preparation such as cheese, yoghurt,
beer and wine making, e.g. Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast

cells. These microorganisms are
used to raise bread dough. The
yeasts converts simple sugar to
alcohol in beverages such as beer
and wine.
 Cell adaptation to the environment
Temperature

• Thermophiles can grow at elevated temperature

Thermus aquaticus is a species of bacterium that can tolerate
high temperatures. It thrives at 70° C, but can survive at
temperatures 50°-80° C .
Hyperthermophiles are organisms that can thrive at temperatures
above 80oC
Yellowstone’s famous hot
springs get their rainbow
colors from extremophile
bacteria (Thermus aquaticus)
that live in the scalding
waters.
 Cell adaptation to the environment
pH:

– Acidophiles are microbes that tends toward acidic

conditions, below pH 3
e.g Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans in acid mine drainage.

– Alkaliphiles are microbes that thrive in alkaline

environments with a pH above 9.
e.g. Bacillus okhensis living in carbonate soil.
Cell adaptation to the environment
Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans in acid mine drainage.

Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans is used for

the industrial recovery of copper
(bioleaching or biomining). It is a
chemolithoautotrophic, γ-
proteobacterium using energy from the
oxidation of iron- and sulfur-containing
minerals for growth. It thrives at
extremely low pH (pH 1–2) and fixes
both carbon and nitrogen from the
atmosphere. It solubilizes copper and
other metals from rocks.

https://bmcgenomics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10
.1186/1471-2164-9-597
 Cell adaptation to the environment

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2015.00994/full
 Cell adaptation to the environment
Oxygen

Aerobic  microorganism that require oxygen for growth.

Anaerobic  organism can be inhibited by the presence of
oxygen.
Facultative  can switch the metabolic pathway to
allow them to grow under either circumstance. e.g.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

• Almost all animals, most fungi and several bacteria are

aerobes.
o Most anaerobic organism are bacteria.
 Cell adaptation to the environment
Diagram of
bacterial cell
distribution in
thioglycolate
tubes.

Examples of obligate aerobes are Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative

agent of tuberculosis and Micrococcus luteus, a gram-positive bacterium that
colonizes the skin. Neisseria meningitidis, the causative agent of severe
bacterial meningitis, and N. gonorrheae, the causative agent of sexually
transmitted gonorrhea, are also obligate aerobes.

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/microbiology/chapter/oxygen-requirements-for-microbial-growth/
 Cell adaptation to the environment
Nutrient sources:
Microorganism can be classified into two categories on the
basis of their CARBON sources.

• Heterotrophs use organic compounds such as

carbohydrates, lipids, and hydrocarbons as a carbon source.

• Autotrophs use carbon dioxide as a carbon source. e.g.

cyanobacteria
 Cell adaptation to the environment
Energy sources:
Microorganism can be classified into two categories on the
basis of their ENERGY sources.

Chemotrophs
use chemical elements/compounds as energy
source.
• Lithotrophs use inorganic compounds such as
ammonia, H2 and iron as a energy source.
• Organotrophs use organic compounds as energy
source.
Phototrophs
use sunlight as a energy source
Cell adaptation to the environment

https://alichem.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/3-bio.png
 Cell adaptation to the environment
Extremophiles:

Organism from those extreme environments.

• Acidophile: An organism with an optimum pH level at or
below pH 3.
• Alkaliphile: An organism with optimal growth at pH levels
of 9 or above.
• Psychrophile: An organism that can thrive at temperatures
of 20 °C or
lower.
• Thermophile: An organism that can thrive at temperatures
between 50-80 °C.
 Cell adaptation to the environment

Cyanobacteria, the first ever oxygenic photosynthesizers, are said to be the source of
chloroplasts in eukaryotes. They are commonly associated with extreme environments.
The above Cyanobacterium was collected from cooler waters of LaDuke Spring, a
thermal site within Gallatin National Forest

http://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/extreme/extremophiles.html
 Cell adaptation to the environment
Extremophiles:
Endolith: An organism that lives inside rock or in the pores between mineral
grains.
Halophile: An organism requiring high concentrations of salt for growth. (>0.2M
salt)
Methanogen: An organism that produces methane from the reaction of hydrogen
and carbon dioxide, member of the Archaea.
Oligotroph: An organism with optimal growth in nutrient limited conditions.
Piezophile (Barophile): An organism that lives optimally at high hydrostatic
pressure.
Hyperthermophile: An organism with optimal growth at temperature 80 °C or
higher.
Toxitolerant: An organism able to withstand high levels of damaging elements
(e.g., pools of benzene, nuclear waste).
Xerophile: An organism capable of growth at very low water activity.
Polyextremophile - adapted simultaneously to multiple stresses examples:
thermoacidophiles and haloalkaliphiles.

http://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/extreme/extre
mophiles.html
Cell adaptation to the environment
Cell adaptation to the environment
Cell adaptation to the environment
 Cell adaptation to the environment

is characterized by deep red water that is highly acidic (pH

1.7—2.5) and rich in heavy metals
Over 5000 years of mining pollution have contributed to the river
becoming an extreme environment, although the presence of
chemolithotrophic organisms, such as iron-oxidizing bacteria and sulfur-
oxidizing bacteria, are thought to be the true culprits to the river's
condition.
the most remarkable findings to date may be the unexpected degree of
eukaryotic diversity in the acidic water
Cell adaptation to the environment
Cell adaptation to the environment
Cell adaptation to the environment
Cell adaptation to the environment
 Recap

• Organism cells are highly diverse in terms of their adaptation

to the living environment:

Temperature, pH, oxygen, moisture, nutrients

and energy sources

• Shapes (bacteria): Coccus, Bacillus and Spirillum

 Fermentation

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T
VtqwWGguFk
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP
21LH3T9yQ
 Nata de Coco

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=xEA-9NEgT7w
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=XkUDGGTuanQ
 Soy Sauce

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SbU5
O_Tpiw
End of Module