A microorganism or microbe is an organism which

is microscopic, making it too small to be seen by the unaided

human eye. The study of microorganisms is called microbiology.
Microorganisms
include bacteria, fungi, archaea, protists and viruses, and are
among the earliest known life forms. The first of these four types
of microorganisms may either be free-living or parasitic. Viruses
can only be parasitic, since they always reproduce inside other
living things.[1][2][3]
Most micro-organisms are single-celled,
or unicellular organisms, but there are unicellular protists that are
visible to the human eye, and some multicellular species are
microscopic.
Microorganisms live almost everywhere on earth where there is
liquid water, including hot springs on the ocean floor and deep
inside rocks within the earth's crust. Such habitats are lived in
by extremophiles.
Microorganisms are critical to nutrient recycling in ecosystems,
because they act as decomposers. Because some
microorganisms can also take nitrogen out of the air, they are an
important part of the nitrogen cycle. Pathogenic, or harmful,
microbes can invade other organisms and cause disease.
Contents

• 1Free-living microorganisms
• 2Parasitic microbes
• 3Comensalism
• 4References
• 5Other websites

Free-living microorganisms[change | change source]

Free-living microbes get their energy in many different ways.
Some use photosynthesis, like plants do. Some break down
natural chemicals in their environment. Others feed on things that
were once living, such as fallen leaves and dead animals, causing
them to breakdown or decay. Some fungi and bacteria cause food
to decay. Moldy bread or fruit, sour milk, and rotten meat are
examples of decayed food. In nature, decayed materials mix
with soil, providing essential nutrients for plants to use. Without
this process, the nutrients in the soil would run out. These types
of organisms are called decomposers. They are the natural
recyclers of living things on our planet.
Microbes also help us make some of our foods, such
as bread, cheese, yogurt, beer, and wine. They feed on
the sugar in grain, fruit, or milk, giving these foods a special
texture and taste. [4]
Parasitic microbes[change | change source]
Some microbes, often called germs, cause illness or disease.
They are parasites which live by invading living
things. Chickenpox, mumps, and measles are all caused by
viruses.[4] They are infectious diseases. Certain bacteria
cause tooth decay.[4] It is possible to protect humans against some
harmful microbes by storing and preparing food properly, cleaning
the teeth, washing hands, and by avoiding close contact with ill
people.
Comensalism[change | change source]
All animals seem to have bacteria and protozoa living in or on
them without doing much harm. Sometimes, as with herbivores,
the microorganisms are vital to the digestion of food. The human
gut has more organisms living inside it than there are cells in the
human body.[5]
References[change | change source]
1. ↑ Rybicki E.P. 1990. The classification of organisms at the edge of
life, or problems with virus systematics. S African J Sci86: 182–6.
2. ↑ Lwoff A. 1957. The concept of virus. J. Gen. Microbiol. 17 (2): 239–
53. PMID 13481308.
3. ↑ Forterre P. 2010. Defining life: the virus viewpoint. Orig Life Evol
Biosph. 40(2):151-60. [1]
4. ↑ Jump up to:4.0 4.1 4.2 Dinorah Pous (2003). Blue Planet. McGrawHill.
5. ↑ Sears C.L. 2005. A dynamic partnership: celebrating o