The microorganism is defined as the acellular or unicellular or multi-cellular free-living or non-free-living organism of size between 0.01µm to 100µm, that has defined functions in the regulation of biogeochemical cycles. In simple words, a cell that is capable of surviving independently in existing micrometer size is called microorganism.
The microorganism contributes a majority of their life in maintaining the biogeochemical and elemental cycles in the environment by breaking down the inorganic and organic materials and decomposing the wastes to release free elements and recycling them.
Microbiology is defined as the study of microbes that includes their existence in nature, morphology, habitat, energy cycle and life cycle. The objective of microbiology is to engineer the microbe in a predesigned controlled environment for a distinct productive purpose.
The practical experiments to study microorganisms and microbial biotechnology are:
Isolation: The process of randomly picking or separating any single microorganism from a mixture of microorganisms either environment sample or laboratory sample is known as isolation.
Screening: Screening refers to the separation of expected target microorganism from environment sample or laboratory sample. Obviously from environment screening refers to the separation of a particular strain based on its specific property like substrate utilization, enzyme activity, and metabolite production and bioenergy production.
Purification: Obtaining a pure strain from the isolated sample is known as purification. Pure strain can be obtained by any of the plating methods such as Pour plate, Spread plate, and Streak plate.
Morphological Identification: In the laboratory, Primary identification of microorganisms is done by microscopic observation.
Sequential Identification: Strain identification is done by molecular sequencing methods. The best method for the identification and classification of an organism based on similarity of sequence.
Characterization: Characterization helps to ease the engineering process of a microbe. Microorganisms can be characterized by various features like morphology (size, shape, arrangement of cellular organelles), Biochemical activity (substrate utilization, catalytic activity, growth pattern), Probiotic nature (Metabolites and pigments) and Pathogenic activity (clinical studies and diagnostics).
Culture Media: Microbial culture media contains nutrients that support for the growth and metabolism of microorganisms. Three forms of media for the microbial growth are liquid or broth, semisolid or gelly and solid media.
Growth Study: Microbial existence in nature depends on the environmental condition, nutrient availability and the symbiotic nature of other habitats present in the environment. To culture a microbe in laboratory condition it is more important to study the environmental growth pattern of the microorganism.
Optimization: Under laboratory condition, the major parameters to be optimized for the growth of the microorganism and obtaining desired biomass product from the microbial culture are pH, temperature, substrate source and concentration, incubation time, biomass etc. The parameters are chosen based on the engineering process and not on the microbial growth pattern.
Pathogenic Nature: An organism that has the ability to cause a disease to plants or animals is known as a pathogen. Pathogenic microbes are having surface active antigens which can interact with the host and cause disease.
Bioremediation: Bioremediation can be defined as the application of any biological life form (bacteria, fungi, algae, plant), biologically derived material such as sorbents, membranes, polymers, enzymes etc, to treat the environmental pollutants in order to reduce the degree of toxicity or pollutants produced by anthropogenic activities.
Bioactive Studies: The bioactive study of a substance or chemical compound refers to determine its activity effect on any life form or cell. The study includes in vivo (effect of a target compound within a life) and in vitro (effect of a target compound on a cell).
Extraction of Biomass: The process includes biological preliminary and analytical techniques to extract enzymes, metabolites, antibodies and other active compounds from microbial sources. The secondary metabolites are the most valuable products for the industry.
Microbial Projects: The projects are carrying out various life forms. All the experiments carried in the microbial project must be triplicate with unchanged laboratory conditions. Ethical guidelines, permission from proper authority and legacy issues must be properly followed while carrying the experiments.
Industrial Application: This section includes the effective application of scientific and engineering principles to produce valuable products from microbial sources like bacteria, fungi, protozoa and algae in the food, fuel, pharmaceutical, and chemical industry.
The microorganism contributes a majority of their life in maintaining the biogeochemical and elemental cycles in the environment by breaking down the inorganic and organic materials and decomposing the wastes to release free elements and recycling them.
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| Microbial Classification |
Classification of Microorganisms
Microbe
|
Definition
|
|---|---|
Virus
|
A Bio-derived preserved material, which replicates only inside a host cell. It does not have defined role
in the biogeochemical cycle. In nature, it exists as an infectious agent made of DNA or RNA and coated
with protein.
|
Archaea
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A prokaryotic single-celled free-living organism morphologically similar to bacteria that posses a
complex molecular organization similar to eukaryotes to survive in extreme environmental conditions,
where the normal life cannot survive.
|
Bacteria
|
A prokaryotic single-celled free-living organism that possesses a flexible and adaptable lifestyle for
various environmental conditions.
|
Amoeba
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A eukaryotic single-celled non-free living organism that does not possess defined size and shape.
An amoeba feeds on prokaryote and organic matter derived from eukaryotes.
|
Ciliate
|
A eukaryotic single-celled non-free-living organism that has short hairy like units for the attachment
and movement. Cilia is known as the sensory organ of the cell.
|
Flagellate
|
A eukaryotic single-celled non-free-living organism that has a larger lash-like appendage for the
locomotion and sensory purpose. The flagellum is much longer than the length of the cell and the
flagella are limited in numbers.
|
Slime
Mold
|
A multinucleated eukaryotic cell that changes invariably in size and shapes with respect to the
availability of feeding materials. Slime molds feed on almost all kind biotic life and bio-derived
matters. It possesses gelly like cytoplasm that is capable of enlarging when feeds.
|
Water
Mold
|
A multinucleated eukaryotic cell that survives only in nutrient-rich aquatic environments that changes
invariably in size and shape with respect to the availability of dispersed organic nutrients.
|
Phyto
Plankton
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A photosynthetic unicellular organism that floats on the aquatic environment in the depth limit where
sunlight penetrates.
|
Zoo
Plankton
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A unicellular non-free-living organism that lives only in the aquatic environment. Zooplankton feeds on
Organic matters, phytoplankton and their derivatives.
|
Fungi
|
A eukaryotic unicellular or multicellular non-free-living organism that survives in a moisture-rich
environment.
|
Algae
|
A photosynthetic prokaryotic or eukaryotic organism that survives in the watery environment. It can
also survive on the watery soil surface.
|
Microbiology is defined as the study of microbes that includes their existence in nature, morphology, habitat, energy cycle and life cycle. The objective of microbiology is to engineer the microbe in a predesigned controlled environment for a distinct productive purpose.
Divisions of Microbiology
Divisions of Microbiology
|
Study About |
|---|---|
Virology
|
Virus
|
Bacteriology
|
Bacteria, Archaea
|
Protistology / Protozoology
|
Slime Molds, Water Molds, Amoeba, Ciliate, Flagellate
|
Planktology
|
Phytoplankton, Zooplankton
|
Mycology
|
Fungi
|
Phycology
|
Algae
|
Isolation: The process of randomly picking or separating any single microorganism from a mixture of microorganisms either environment sample or laboratory sample is known as isolation.
Screening: Screening refers to the separation of expected target microorganism from environment sample or laboratory sample. Obviously from environment screening refers to the separation of a particular strain based on its specific property like substrate utilization, enzyme activity, and metabolite production and bioenergy production.
Purification: Obtaining a pure strain from the isolated sample is known as purification. Pure strain can be obtained by any of the plating methods such as Pour plate, Spread plate, and Streak plate.
Morphological Identification: In the laboratory, Primary identification of microorganisms is done by microscopic observation.
Sequential Identification: Strain identification is done by molecular sequencing methods. The best method for the identification and classification of an organism based on similarity of sequence.
Characterization: Characterization helps to ease the engineering process of a microbe. Microorganisms can be characterized by various features like morphology (size, shape, arrangement of cellular organelles), Biochemical activity (substrate utilization, catalytic activity, growth pattern), Probiotic nature (Metabolites and pigments) and Pathogenic activity (clinical studies and diagnostics).
Culture Media: Microbial culture media contains nutrients that support for the growth and metabolism of microorganisms. Three forms of media for the microbial growth are liquid or broth, semisolid or gelly and solid media.
Growth Study: Microbial existence in nature depends on the environmental condition, nutrient availability and the symbiotic nature of other habitats present in the environment. To culture a microbe in laboratory condition it is more important to study the environmental growth pattern of the microorganism.
Optimization: Under laboratory condition, the major parameters to be optimized for the growth of the microorganism and obtaining desired biomass product from the microbial culture are pH, temperature, substrate source and concentration, incubation time, biomass etc. The parameters are chosen based on the engineering process and not on the microbial growth pattern.
Pathogenic Nature: An organism that has the ability to cause a disease to plants or animals is known as a pathogen. Pathogenic microbes are having surface active antigens which can interact with the host and cause disease.
Bioremediation: Bioremediation can be defined as the application of any biological life form (bacteria, fungi, algae, plant), biologically derived material such as sorbents, membranes, polymers, enzymes etc, to treat the environmental pollutants in order to reduce the degree of toxicity or pollutants produced by anthropogenic activities.
Bioactive Studies: The bioactive study of a substance or chemical compound refers to determine its activity effect on any life form or cell. The study includes in vivo (effect of a target compound within a life) and in vitro (effect of a target compound on a cell).
Extraction of Biomass: The process includes biological preliminary and analytical techniques to extract enzymes, metabolites, antibodies and other active compounds from microbial sources. The secondary metabolites are the most valuable products for the industry.
Microbial Projects: The projects are carrying out various life forms. All the experiments carried in the microbial project must be triplicate with unchanged laboratory conditions. Ethical guidelines, permission from proper authority and legacy issues must be properly followed while carrying the experiments.
Industrial Application: This section includes the effective application of scientific and engineering principles to produce valuable products from microbial sources like bacteria, fungi, protozoa and algae in the food, fuel, pharmaceutical, and chemical industry.