MICROBIAL WORLD

THE STORY OF MICROORGANISMS Part -I

Let us think over following questions. Why do we add some drops of butter milk to lukewarm milk while making curd? Why does even cooked food get spoiled after some days? Why do we get bad smell from our mouth after we wake up in the morning? In this chapter we will try to find out what may be involved in causing such changes. Years back several people wondered over such questions and tried to find out answers of such questions. One such example is about Anton van Leeuwenhoek.

Story of Microscope invention and discovery of microorganisms

Anton van Leeuwenhoek

single lens powerful microscope

Microbiology as a science was born in 1674 when Anton van Leeuwenhoek peered at a drop of lake water through a glass lens that he had carefully ground. Anton van Leeuwenhoek was a fabric merchant. Leeuwenhoek built a single lens powerful microscope, which can magnify the object 300 times. His curiosity and skill of making powerful lenses were the secrets of this invention of powerful microscope. His keen observation of different things under his microscope helped him to discover smallest moving organisms in 1678. He called them as animalcules, later which were named as bacteria. Along with animalcules he observed many other microorganisms

under his microscope which got their respective names later on. This helped further discovery of other microorganisms.

Now let us see what are Microorganisms and where we can find them. Microorganisms
We can see some organisms with our naked eyes, like plants and animals around us. But some organisms are so small that we cannot see them with our naked eyes. We can see them only with help of a microscope. They are called as microorganisms. Some of the microorganisms are shown in Fig.2.1 to 2.5

Bacteri of different shapes

Lactobacillus

Fig.2.1Bacteria as seen under Electron microscope

: Penicillium

Bread mould Rhizopus Fig.2.2 Fungi

Aspergillus

Amoeba ( 500 Microns )

Paramecium ( 0.25m.m )

Fig.2.3Protozoans

Ceratium

Chlamydomonas

Spirogyra

Spirulina

Oedogonium

Vorticella

Osillotoria

Fig.2.4 Algae

cylapse

Daphnia

Scabies mite

Eyelash mite

Fig. 2.5 Micro Arthropods

Groups of microorganisms
Let us study some major groups of microorganisms. They are bacteria, fungi, protozoa, algae and certain micro arthropods.

To study these major groups we will do some activities.

For this we will need a Microscope. You already know how to use it. You could also refer to class VI Chapter 16 and class VIII Chapter --

Activity 1 : Collect some pond water / or water from any tank in your surrounding. Ensure to take some of the greenish scrapings from side of the tank. Take 1-2 drops of water (from the sample you have collected) on
a slide and observe through Microscope. Draw rough sketches in your note book of what you observed. Take the help of given figures on page --- for observation and identification (you may also discuss with your friends). Take the help of your teacher as well. Help Box
Photographs of microbes in pond water, ex: Spirogyra, paramecium, Amoeba etc

Can you name the organisms you have observed through the microscope? We will try to know more about the microscopic world by doing the following activities. Observing Fungi Usually after the rainy season you may have seen some small umbrella like growths over rotten materials of dumped wast between the grasses in a field or edges of wet rotten wooden planks. Often you may have observed white patches on the bark of trees. These are a few types of fungi. Now let us look at them more closely by the following activity.

Activity 2: Take some rotten part of vegetable or black spoiled part of bread or coconut with help of a needle on a slide. Put a drop of water, cover with a cover slip and observe through microscope. Draw rough sketches in your note book of what you observed. Take the help of help box for the same. Help Box

ex.Rhizopous

Observing Bacteria We can see these in butter milk or curd or early morning scraping of tongue (before washing the mouth). We can also find them in the soil, over bark of trees, over our skin and many other places. But they are not visible to the naked eye. Now let us look at them more closely by the following activity. Activity 3: Take one or two drops of butter milk on a slide, spread it on the slide. Heat it slightly on a lamp (3-4 seconds). Add a few drops of cristal violet on it. Leave it for 30 to 60 seconds and wash the slide gently with water. Observe the slide under the compound Microscope. Draw rough Sketches in your note book of what you observed. Take the help of the given help box for observation. Help Box Picture of actual observation of lactobacillus

Photographs of curd in bowl

Lactobacillus bacterium

Do you know?
There are several Bacteria growing on our skin. Many of the disease causing ones live in some symbiotic relations with other bacteria. There are several types of them in our body as well. We cannot do without the bacteria present inside our intestine. Bacteria are found everywhere and there are over thousand types of them in soil, water etc. Recently two types of bacteria nearly a millimetre long were discovered which can be seen with naked eye. Observing Algae We observe greenish pond water in our surroundings. This greenishness is because of growth of Algae and other plants in water. We can see some of algae with naked eye like chora, but most of the algae present in water is also microscopic.They can be observed only through a microscope. Let us collect pond water or water from the tanks with bit of greenish scrapings to do the following activity. Activity Select a few strands (green string like bodies).or some part of the scrapings that have small string like bodies. Take one or two drops of collected greenish pond water (in a bottle) on a slide. Cover it with a cover slip and observe through microscope. Draw rough sketches in your note book of what you observed. Take the help of help box for the same.

Do you know?
Micro Algae photosynthesis is important for life on earth. They produce approximately half of the atmospheric oxygen needed by other orgonismsand use green house gase carbon dioxide. The bio diversity of Micro Algae is enormous. It has been estimated that about 2 lakhs to 8 lakhs species exist.

Observing Protozoa Some of other group of microorganisms are protozoans. Most of the protozoans present in the water and soil. We can see them through microscope only. Let us do the following activity to observe them.

Do you Know? To grow protozoans prepare dication of hay and take in a bowl and add some collected pond water to it. After 3- 4 days take drop of water and observe under compound microscope. You can also add some boiled bendi pieces to the hey dication.

Activity Take one or two drops of hay decation water on a slide and observe under the microscope. Draw rough Sketches in your note book of what you observed. Take the help of the given help box for observation.

Microorthropods
We can see some arthropods with our eyes such as Ants, Cockroaches, Scorpions, etc. But some arthropods are microscopic which are known as micro arthropods. Some micro arthropods are very important in soil which helps in soil fertility by decomposing the biomass through disetion which converts the bigger compounds in to smaller compounds. Some micro arthropods cause diseases like scabies e.g.: scabies mites.

Observing soil microorganisms

[

Do you know? Soil is highly rich of microorganisms such a bacteria, fungi, Actinomyceties, protozoans, microorthropods. The top of eight inch soil of one acre may contain as much as five and half tons of fungi and bacteria. We can see them trough microscope only, by growing them in different media. Let us do following activity to observe some of soil microbes.

Do you know?
Viruses are very interesting type of microorganisms. They behave like non living things when they are outside of a living cell. But they behave like living organisms by reproducing in host living cells like bacteria, plants or animals. They can only be seen through very powerful electron microscope. Some Viruses are shown in Fig-2.

HIV Fig.2.5 Viruses Diseases like polio, swine flu, conjunctivitis, smallpox, chickenpox and AIDS are caused by viruses.

Activity 4: Collect some soil from the field in a beaker or in a glass .Add
some water to it and stir it. Wait for some time to let the soil particles settle down. Take a drop of water on a slide and observe under the Microscope. Draw rough sketches in your note book of what you observed. Take the help of help box for observation. Help Box Photographs and ex. Of soil micro orgsanisms microorthropod mites, worms, fungal, spores, fungal hyae.

Do you know?
To grow soil microbes we must add 2-3boiled cucumber pieces to the soil mixed water and keep it for there to four days. Observe on the cucumber pieces. Take little part of Cucumber piece and observe under Microscope. Take help of your teacher.

From the above activities you would be able to understand the diverseness of the microorganisms. You can also appreciate the fact that this is another amazing world of living organisms. Let us try to find out where else we can find them.

Where are microorganisms present?

Microorganisms present everywhere around us. They present in air, water, soil. They are also present inside and outside of animals including human beings and on plants. They can survive in all types of environments ranging from ice cold climate to hot springs, deserts to marshy lands. Some microorganisms grow on other organisms (parasites) and some may exist independently like algae

Diseases like typhoid, tuberculosis (T.B) and septicaemia (blood poisoning) caused by bacteria. Some of the skin diseases are caused by fungi while others

by microorhropods and bacteria. Diseases like Malaria, Amoebiasis are caused by Protozoa (Protozoans) DO YOU KNOW?
BACTERIAL STAINING

Bacterias are very small/tiny microorganisms. We must stain before seeing BACTERIA UNDER MICROSCOPE. Smear bacteria on a slide and slightly heat the slide. Then put drops of crystal violet on the slide, after 30 to 60 seconds gently wash the slide. Dry the slide and now watch the slide under the microscope in 25 X or 40 X.

KEY WORDS
Microorganism , Microscope, Bacteria, Fungi, Protozoa, Algae, Virus, discovery, invention

What we have learnt?

Microorganisms are very minute. We cannot see them with our naked eye. We can see microorganisms with help of Microscope. Microbes present everywhere in our surroundings. Bacteria, Fungi, Protozoa, and Algae are major groups of microorganisms.
Viruses are special type of microorganisms, which stands between living and non living organisms. They can reproduce only in host living cell.

Improve your learning

1.

Observe some useful and harmful microorganisms on prepared permanent slides with help of Microscope, and note them down.

2.

Visit any Microbiology department of Degree, PG College or University nearby you with help of your teacher or parents .Know some techniques to culture some Microorganisms from air, water, soil and from rotten vegetables or fruits.

3. Prepare one Bacterial or Fungal medium with help of your teacher and grow some bacteria or fungi in them and observe the appearance and colour of these. what type of microorganisams we can observe in pond water?
4.

5. How can we observe Lactobacillus bacterium?