Properties and Classification of Microorganisms: Background Background Background Background Background
Properties and Classification of Microorganisms: Background Background Background Background Background
Properties and Classification of Microorganisms: Background Background Background Background Background
Monera
Monera: bacteria, most do not photosynthesize
(parasitic) except for the blue-green bacteria.
Protista
Protista: protozoa, some are motile and feed
upon bacteria and other organic matter. Algae
are part of this kingdom. Algae photosynthesizes
and live in water.
Fungi
ungi: molds, yeasts, mushrooms, rusts, and
smuts. Parasites or decomposers. Fungi contain
no chlorophyll and cannot synthesize food. In-
stead they secrete enzymes that digest food ma-
terial outside the organisms.
Plantae
Plantae: non-microscopic
Animalia
Animalia: non-microscopic
Microorganisms in the Macrocosm Utah Agriculture in the Classroom
Properties and Classification of Microorganisms 7
Plant Cell
Since the cell is the basic unit of all living things, you
might think it is a simple structure. Nothing could be
further from the truth. The cell is complex in its
makeup and its function. Many scientists have spent
their lives studying it. The main parts of the cell are the
nucleus, cytoplasm, and the cell wall. (There are other
organells found in the cell. For an interesting look at all
the cell parts visit these web sites http://
www.brigadoon.com/~schaffer/biology/, http://
www.clarityconnect.com/webpages/cramer/pictureit/
cells.htm, http://www.purchon.co.uk/science/cells.html,
http://personal.tmlp.com/Jimr57/index.htm, http://
gened.emc.maricopa.edu/bio/bio181/BIOBK/
BioBookCELL2.html#Table of Contents, http://
manateemiddle.org/manateemiddle/newpage211.htm,
http://www.channelone.com/fasttrack/science/biology/ nucleus
cells.html, http://www.nyu.edu/education/ cytoplasm
mindsinmotion/individual/bg243/, or http:// cell wall
ampere.scale.uiuc.edu/~m-lexa/scripts/cell.cgi)
The nucleus is the control center. It directs cell cell membrane
division or the formation of new cells. The cytoplasm
contains the parts which convert food material into
energy and new cell material. The cell wall or mem-
brane holds everything together and controls the pas- Animal Cell
sage of material into and out of the cell. Looking at
onionskin cells and cheek cells under a microscope will
help students to see cell parts. (Procedures for making
these cell slides are found in teh Utah 6th Grade El-
ementary Science Teacher Resource Book).
Cell W alls
Walls
The cells of most microorganisms and all plants are
enclosed by a rigid cell wall
wall,, which lies just outside the
cell membrane. The cell wall gives the cell its shape
and provides protection for the cell. In plants, this wall
is composed largely of cellulose. The cell wall has many
small openings that allow materials to pass to and from
the cell membrane. Thin strands of cytoplasm some-
cytoplasm
times extend through the walls of neighboring cells,
which allow materials to pass directly from one cell to nucleus
cell membrane
another. Animal cells do not have cell walls, just a cell
membrane.
Microorganisms in the Macrocosm Utah Agriculture in the Classroom
Properties and Classification of Microorganisms 9
Cell Membrane
The cell membrane, or plasma membrane, separates Bacteria
the cell from its surrounding environment. The mem- double
brane controls the movement of materials into and out
of the cell, which makes it possible for the cell contents every...
every...
to be chemically different from the environment. The
membrane keeps the internal conditions of the cell
constant.
Cell Nucleus
The cell nucleus (plural, nuclei), is a round, membrane- 90° 1/2 hour at 90°
bound structure that serves as the control center or
brain of the cell. If it is removed, the cell dies. It is the
largest organelle (a cell structure in the cytoplasm that
has a specific function).
Cytoplasm
70° 1 hour at 70°
The watery material in the cell between the cell mem-
brane and the nucleus is the cytoplasm. Many of the
substances involved in cell metabolism (chemical
60° 2 hours at 60°
reactions for life, including growth) are dissolved in the
cytoplasm. The cytoplasm also contains a variety of
organelles that have specific functions in cell metabo-
lism.
Protists
Scientists estimate that the protists first evolved
about 3 billion years after the monerans (bacteria) were
established. Since most protists require oxygen, it is
thought that the earliest protists could not have evolved
until the blue-green bacteria had been producing
oxygen for billions of years.
The kingdom Protista contains many species and a
greater variety of organisms. Although most protists
are unicellular, some are multicellular organisms and
may be quite large. Some protists are heterotrophic
(get their food from their environment) others are
autotrophic and make their own food. Protists may live
Utah Agriculture in the Classroom Microorganisms in the Macrocosm
12 Properties and Classification of Microorganisms
Animal-lik
Animal-like e Protists
The animal-like protists are single-celled or colonial
organisms called protozoa
protozoa. They live in fresh and salt
water, in the soil, and in the bodies of other organisms.
All protozoa are heterotrophic. Some absorb nutrients
through their cell membranes, whereas others engulf
larger particles of food. Most protozoa are motile.
Amebas are unicellular organisms that continually
change shape and engulf food particles. Amebas
reproduce asexually by binary fission (cell division).
They are commonly found in freshwater ponds, lakes,
and streams.
Another group of the animal-like protista is called
zooflagellates. Trypanosoma gambiense is the protista
responsible for African sleeping sickness in humans.
These microorganisms are spread by the tsetse fly.
Plasmodium is a protozoa that is parasitic and
causes malaria. The spores from this parasite invade
the red blood cells of the human host, multiply there,
then break out and invade new cells. The destruction
of the red blood cells releases toxic cell wastes into the
bloodstream. These waste products cause fever, chills,
and other symptoms of malaria. Malaria is a serious,
sometimes fatal, disease. Although it can be treated
with drugs, one method of prevention is to eliminate
the Anopheles mosquito. In spite of the widespread
use of pesticides in many countries, millions of people
are still infected with malaria, especially in tropical
areas.
Plant-lik
Plant-likee Protists
The plant-like protists, commonly called algae,
resemble plants because they are all photosynthetic.
Like the protozoa, algae are very diverse. Some are
tiny, single-celled organisms with flagella. Others are
large, multicellular organisms like seaweed. Like plants,
Fungi
Yeast
Yeasts are small, single-cell organisms. They are
members of the family fungi (singular, fungus), that also
include mushrooms. Fungi differ from other plants in
that they have no chlorophyll. Thus they have been
useful to man for centuries in the production of certain
foods and beverages. They are responsible for the
rising of bread dough and the fermentation of wine,
whiskey, brandy and beer. They also play the initial role
in the production of vinegar. Most yeasts can live only
on sugars and starches. From these they produce
carbon dioxide gas and alcohol. Yeasts reproduce by a
method called budding. A small knob or bud forms on
the parent cell, grows and finally separates to become a
new yeast cell. Although this is the most common
method of reproduction, yeasts also multiply by the
formation of spores.
Some yeasts are psychrophilic and so they can grow
at relatively low temperatures. In fact, the fermentation
of wines and beer is often carried out at temperatures
Molds
Molds are probably the best known of the microor-
ganisms. They are widely distributed in nature and
grow under a variety of conditions in which air and
moisture are present. They are also plants and a part
of the fungi family. Nearly everyone has seen mold
growth on damp clothing and old shoes. The mold we
see with the naked eye is actually a colony of millions of
mold cells growing together. Molds vary in appearance.
Some are fluffy and filament-like; others are moist and
glossy; still others are slimy.
Molds are made up of more than one cell. Vegetative
cells sustain the organism by taking in food substances
for energy and the production of new cell material.
Reproductive cells produce small seed cells called
spores. Unlike bacterial spores, mold spores are the
source of new mold organisms. Bacterial spores gener-
ally form only when environmental conditions are
unfavorable.
Mold cells form a fruiting body. The fruiting body
produces the spores, which detach and are carried by
air currents and deposited to start new mold colonies
whenever conditions are favorable.
Mold spores are quite abundant in the air. So any
food allowed to stand in the open soon becomes con-
taminated with mold if adequate moisture is present.
Some types of molds are also psychrophiles (grow in