The Ecological Impact of Prokaryotes A. Prokaryotes are indispensable links in the recycling of chemical elements in ecosystems 1. Prokaryotes play essential roles in Earth’s biogeochemical cycles, e.g., decomposers break down and recycle organic compounds in dead organisms. Autotrophs make organic compounds that form the foundation for many food webs. They can metabolize inorganic molecules, make oxygen for the atmosphere, and fix nitrogen that becomes a nitrogen source for amino acids and nucleic acids. B.
Fungi Unlike bacteria and viruses, fungi are simple plant-like organisms which reproduce using spores. There are three types of fungal infections; ones which occur on the surface of the skin and hair; those which occur in the epidermis (such as ringworm and athlete's foot) and those which affect the deeper layers of skin – the dermis, subcutaneous tissue, muscle and fascia. Fungi may reach these layers as a result of penetrating wounds, or may be inhaled. Parasites Parasites differ from bacteria in that they need a living host to survive and reproduce, although not all parasites affect the host. Parasites can be acquired through contact with a contaminated surface, via infected water or food and through contact with contaminated bodily fluids such as blood, faecal matter and sexual contact.
Unit 265 Causes and spread of infection. Outcome 1 Understand the causes of infection Identify the differences between bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. Bacteria are a living organism that is found almost everywhere, in soil, water and even in the human body. Not all bacteria are harmful, and some bacteria that live in your body are helpful. For instance, Lactobacillus acidophilus — a harmless bacterium that resides in your intestines — helps you digest food, destroys some disease-causing organisms and provides nutrients.
They are found naturally in humans, as well as plants and animals. Bacteria multiply by themselves to spread. Bacteria rapidly reproduce and make toxins that kill or damage cells. They differ from viruses, fungi and parasites because they do not always cause harm, sometimes they can be beneficial. In fact only 1% of bacteria are harmful.
The deep volcanic ash where he found the lupine held few nutrients. But lupines, like other plants in the pea family, are able to “fix” nitrogen, thus enriching the soil. Each lupine plant created a microhabitat that was hospitable to several other plant species. Besides enriching the soil with nitrogen, the lupines also physically trapped windblown debris and attracted insects. As the insects died on or around the plant, they enriched the soil with organic matter.
Fungi are multi-celled organisms that form a third Kingdom of life, along with the plant kingdom and the animal kingdom. Parasites are plants or animals that derive benefit from the metabolism of other plants or animals at the expense of the host and without providing some benefit to the host in return. Bacteria is found in ever were and is able to adapt to its environment there is around 40 million bacteria in a gram of soil an d can live in either a symbiotic or parasitic relationship , and the human body controls bacteria by the use of anti-bodies in the blood system which makes the majority of bacteria harmless to use . A virus is a small infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of other organisms. Viruses can infect all types of life forms, from animals and plants
Abstract Intraspecific and interspecific competition plays a major role in stabilizing environments. These mechanisms ensure that no species can go beyond its environments carrying capacity. The purpose of this lab is to determine the effects of density on biomass of plants and the effects of predators and abiotic factors in an environment. This will be tested with the spinach plant Spinacia vulgaris of varying densities in the same sized pots and with the use of P. aurelia, P. bursaria and P. caudatum divided into control and experimental groups. The results showed that the increasing of the density leads to a decrease in the biomass of plants and that the experimental groups are not much different than the control groups.
Plants are the producers for an ecosystem. They photosynthesise carbon dioxide and water and produce energy in the form of carbohydrates and other molecules. Photosynthesis requires water, and plants gain water from the soil using mineral ions such as nitrate produced by the nitrifying bacteria. Hydrolysis of ATP releases energy for processes such as active transport of the nitrate ions (and others such as potassium etc) from the soil into root hair cells, a process that lowers water potential and is used to draw water into the plant from the soil. In leaves, photosynthesis involves the photolysis of water, a process that involves the attachment of two electrons to a magnesium ion in chlorophyll and the production of hydrogen ions from the breakdown of water.
Agriculturally, plants can be genetically transformed to be resistant to pesticides, spoilage, and frost. In bioremediation bacteria can be transformed to be able to digest oil from oil spills. For medicinal purposes, gene therapy is being used to help people with diseases caused by defective genes. The GFP protein is a green fluorescent protein that is the source for bioluminescent jellyfish. This protein causes the jellyfish to glow in the dark.
4. The reason for the national policy for colour coding of cleaning equipment is to ensure that the same cleaning equipment is not used in multiple areas, therefore reducing the risk of cross-infection. Outcome 2 1. The three steps of the decontamination process are cleaning, disinfecting and sterilisation. Disinfecting is a process used to reduce the number of micro-organisms to a safe level for a defined procedure but which may not necessarily inactivate all viruses and bacterial spores.