Microorganisms in Nature and Biotechnology - Essay Example

A microorganism or microbe is an organism which is microscopic, usually too small to be seen by the naked eye. Microorganisms are very diverse including bacteria, fungi, archae, protists etc. They live in all parts of the biosphere where there is liquid water, including soil, hot springs, on the ocean floor, high in the atmosphere and deep inside the rocks within the Earth's crust. Microbes are critical to nutrient recycling in ecosystem, biochemical and ecological cycles. They also play a major role in precipitation and weather. Microbes are exploited in the fields of biotechnology, food technology and genetic engineering. Even though most of the microorganisms are useful, a few are pathogenic too. A microorganism or microbe is an organism which is microscopic, usually too small to be seen by the naked eye. Microorganisms are very diverse including bacteria, fungi, archae, protists etc. They live in all parts of the biosphere where there is liquid water, including soil, hot springs, on the ocean floor, high in the atmosphere and deep inside the rocks within the Earth's crust. Microbes are critical to nutrient recycling in ecosystem, biochemical and ecological cycles. They also play a major role in precipitation and weather. Microbes are exploited in the fields of biotechnology, food technology and genetic engineering. Even though most of the microorganisms are useful, a few are pathogenic too. However, the recent developments of science have made the applications of microbes quite vital in the applied research of modern days. Microbes play quite important roles in the biogeochemical cycles, agriculture, medical microbiology and biotechnology. These roles have been customized by technological innovations to suit human needs and to favor the facilitation of applied research. The objective of this essay is to critically analyze the role of microbes in biogeochemical cycles, agriculture, medical microbiology, food technology and biotechnology. Microbes in biogeochemical cycles: Major biogeochemical cycles involve carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle, phosphorous cycle and sulphur cycle. Microorganisms interlink the different steps of the ecological cycles and they are intimately involved in the recycling of biological matters. For instance, the nitrogen fixing microorganisms namely Azotobacter, Clostridium, Azospirillum (all free living) and Rhizobium (symbiotic with leguminous plants) are essential to complete the nitrogen cycle which is vital in maintaining ecological nitrogen balance (Chakraborti et.al, 2004). Microorganisms which act as decomposers actively participate in the carbon cycle an phosphorous cycle as well. These microbes thus determine the completion of the naturally vital biogeochemical cycles. It must be noted that these biochemical cycles are quite important links in the proper recycling of biological matters. It is this regeneration process which actively maintains the biological balance of the whole universe and thus serves as the foundation for the balance of organic and inorganic matter. The illustrations below explain the role of different microbes in nitrogen cycle, one of the key biogeochemical cycles. In this context, the microbes play important role in converting within various forms of Nitrogen and making it available for plants and thus playing important role in the food cycle. Source: Hartzog, C K (2002) Source: Ritter M, (2009) Microbes in biotechnology: The application of microbes in biotechnology is very wide involving synthesis of antibiotics like penicillin, genetically modified crops, vaccination of animals etc.The genetic engineering use microbes as vectors incases of genetically modified food and crops. The BT cotton, a pest resistant variety of cotton is developed with the aid of a microbe namely Bacillus thuringiensis (Chakraborti et.al, 2004) is an ideal example for this. The extraction of antibiotics from microorganism is highly significant as these are used as drugs in many diseases. The most common example is penicillin extracted from Penicillium notatum used for the treatment of tuberculosis and syphilis (Chakraborti et.al, 2004). Microbes in food technology Microbes are used to manufacture food products for more than 8,000 years. Bread, alcoholic beverages, vinegar, cheese and yogurt, and many other foods owe their existence to enzymes found in various microorganisms. They also serve as a rich source of food additives, enzymes and other substances used in food processing (Chakraborti et.al, 2004). Microorganisms have been essential to the food industry not only for their importance as fermentors, but also because they are the source of many of the additives and processing aids used in food processing. Food additives are substances used to increase nutritional value, retard spoilage, change consistency and enhance flavor. The compounds food processors use as food additives are substances nature has provided and are usually of plant or microbial origin, such as xanthan gum and guar gum, which are produced by microbes (Chakraborti et.al, 2004).. Many of the amino acid supplements, flavors, flavor enhancers and vitamins added to breakfast cereals are produced by microbial fermentation (Chakraborti et.al, 2004).. Enzymes produced by microbial fermentation play essential roles as processing aids in the food industry. Enzymes are essential to the production of fruit juices, candies with soft centers, and cheeses. The food industry uses more than 55 different enzyme products in food processing. Microbes in agriculture: Microbes are beneficial in agriculture also. Soil microbes (bacteria and fungi) are essential for decomposing organic matter and recycling old plant material. Some soil bacteria and fungi form relationships with plant roots that provide important nutrients like nitrogen or phosphorus. Fungi can colonize upper parts of plants and provide many benefits, including drought tolerance, heat tolerance, resistance to insects and resistance to plant diseases. Some microbes such as Trichoderma , Psuedomonas etc are used as bio-pesticides and bio-insecticides (Chakraborti et.al, 2004). These organisms can improve the nutrient value of the soil and thus make the soil conditions favorable for plant growth. Microbes in clinical microbiology Much advanced studies on the classifications of beneficial and pathogenic microorganisms have led to the application of microbiology in clinical applications. Microbes are today actively used in the pharmacological industry utilizing their ability in the production of enzymes, organic acids, and medicines (Rai University, 2003, 135-137). More importantly microbes can be effectively utilized in clinical research facilitating advancement in medical sciences and pharmacological research (Rai University, 2003, 135-137). The property of rapid mass increase and their readiness for genetic modifications make microbes quite feasible for clinical applications and research. The high content of protein in microbes is also a typical characteristic which makes microbes applicable in clinical science (Rai University, 2003, 135-137). Conclusion Rapid advancements in the research and application of microbial studies have been observed by modern day science. It has been well proved that microbes and their allied biological activities can be well applied in biogeochemical cycles, agriculture, medical microbiology, food technology and biotechnology. More advanced research on both harmful and effective microbes would lead to the development of applications which would facilitate betterment in human life. References Hartzog, C K (2002), Nutrient cycles, In SAS website, Retrieved May 19, 2009 from http://www.starsandseas.com/SAS_Images/SAS_ecol_images/SAS_ecol_physical /Nitrog en_Cycle-4.jpg Ritter M, (2009)The Physical environment, In University of Wisconsin, Retrieved May 19, 2009 from http://www.uwsp.edu/geO/faculty/ritter/geog101/textbook/earth_system/nitrogen_ cycle_EPA.jpg Chakraborti, D P; Gill, J S; Jain, S C; Gera, V K; Gupta, K B; Shaffi, S A; Srivastava, S & Singh J (2004), Biology :Textbook for class XI, New Delhi: National Council of Educational Research and Training. Rai University, (2003), Microbes In Medicines, Pharmaceutical Biotechnology And Diagnostic Techniques, 2.603, 135-137 Read More