Dr.

Ong Meng Chuan Department of Marine Science Faculty of Maritime Studies and Marine Science Universiti Malaysia Terengganu

Chapter 3: Microorganism & Pollution

CHAPTER 3
Microorganism & Pollution
MICROORGANISM : DEFINITION Organism that is microscopic Very tiny single celled or unicellular organisms Include protozoan, bacteria, fungi and protists Primary producers in marine environments Found almost everywhere in the world in all living things, plants and animals Live in the air, on land, liquid water including hot springs, on the ocean floor, deep inside rocks in Earths crust Critical to nutrient recycling in ecosystem as they act as decomposers Some organism can also fix nitrogen important part of the nitrogen cycle Microorganism that can cause harmful disease are called PATHOGENIC Pathogenic microbes can invade other organism and cause diseases

INTERESTING FACT Marine Microorganisms Hold the Key to Life on Earth Few people realize that all life on earth evolved from microorganisms in the sea. Just one liter of coastal seawater contains up to a million microbes including thousands of different types.

WHAT ARE THEY? Microorganisms are essential to all forms of life There are billions of types of microorganisms that serve as building blocks for all kinds of ecosystem around the world Most microorganism are beneficial; they fill important roles such as helping human digest food, aiding in the proper treatment of wastewater and carrying out functions necessary to sustain the food chain. These useful microorganism ANTIGENIC Aquatic Pollution | MMS 3202 2

Chapter 3: Microorganism & Pollution DISTRIBUTION OF MICROORGANISMS IN ENVIRONMENT Normally they are friendly and low in the aquatic environment at the density of 100 1000 cells/mL The level increases when the environment is polluted EXAMPLE : 1M 10M cells/mL in Klang River o Each day, averagely 50 to 60 tons of solid waste are removed from Klang River and this has not sum up with the solid waste collected from the solid waste trap which account for 80 tons o Pollution due to high level of organic input and discharge UMT Mengabang ??

WHERE DO THEY COME FROM? Microorganisms such as pathogens may enter aquatic environment through point and non-point sources, while others may occur naturally Wildlife, domestic animals and birds may also contribute pathogens to the environment. The major sources of bacterial contamination are due to the point source

EXAMPLE Point source : sewage treatment plant; factory introduce materials directly into the waterway Non-point source : heavy metals and oils from streets; sewage from the city; fertilizer and pesticide from farm All make their way indirectly to the waterway

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Chapter 3: Microorganism & Pollution

EXAMPLE : Wastewater treatment Treatment facilities have greatly reduced the number of pathogens that are release into aquatic environment through disinfectant processes Problem : Not always 100% effective and breakdown in facilities sometimes occur During heavy rains, there is too much water for the sewage treatment plants to handle, and some untreated or partially treated water maybe disposed into the aquatic system.

HOW ARE WATERBORNE DISEASE TRANSMITTED TO HUMAN? Through drinking water accounts for almost one-third of the illness Through primary contact swimming, water skiing, fishing, boating Through secondary contact ingestion of contaminated shellfish and fish

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Chapter 3: Microorganism & Pollution HOW ARE PATHOGENS DETECTED? Measure for fecal coliforms and other sewage indicator bacteria The presence of bacterial indicators suggest that the water may be contaminated with untreated sewage and pathogen bacterial may potentially be present A criteria based on the indicator bacteria concentration are used to determine if waters are safe for human use. Bacteria from the fecal coliform group are used as indicators because they are not usually present in unpolluted waters and are easily detected by simple laboratory procedures.

MICROORGANISM AND BIODEGRADABLE PLASTICS Biodegradable plastics are those that will decompose in the natural environment Biodegradable plastics can be achieved by enabling microorganisms in the environment to metabolize the molecular structure of plastic films to produce an inerthumus-like material that is less harmful to the environment ADVANTAGE : proper condition (sun, moisture, oxygen), the plastic degrade to the point where organism can digest them Reduce problems with litter and reduces harmful effects on wildlife.

MICROBIAL POLLUTION Microorganisms may cause pollution The growth of microorganism may produce undesirable or toxic metabolites They may produce chemical pollutants which can change the water quality of the environment They may contaminated the food-chains

MICROORGANISM METABOLISM Under aerobic condition : C6H12O6 + 6 O2

Bacteria

6 CO2 + 6 H2O + Energy

Optimum DO in the tropical water is around 8 mg/L

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Chapter 3: Microorganism & Pollution If there is a lot of DO in the water, ammonia (NH3) produced will be converted to nitrate (NO3) which is much less toxic compared to ammonia If there is not enough DO in the water, ammonia and nitrite which are toxic to organisms will be accumulated in the water. NH3 + 3/2 O2 NH3 + 3/2 O2
Bacteria Bacteria

NO2 + H2O + H+ NO2 + H2O + H+

Under anaerobic condition : Anaerobic bacteria will use other oxygen-rich substances such as nitrate ( NO3 ), sulfate ( SO42 ) and carbon dioxide ( CO2 ) as electron acceptors instead of oxygen in the process of metabolism These types of reduction process normally carried out in soil contaminated with high load of organics such as aquaculture ponds Under this condition, toxic gases such as hydrogen sulfide ( H2S ) and methane ( CH4 ) are produced and they are highly toxic to aquatic organisms

Nitrate reduction C6H12O6 + NO3 Sulfate reduction C6H12O6 + SO42 Carbon dioxide reduction C6H12O6 + CO2

Bacteria

NO2 + CO2 + ..

Bacteria

H2S + CO2 + ..

Bacteria

CH4 + CO2 + ..

METABOLISM OF NITROGEN COMPOUNDS Ammonia is produced during the decomposition of organic materials in soil and water The safety level of NH3 (gas) to organism is <0.025 mg/L Nitrate is the end product of microbial breakdown of organic matter in oxygen rich water. Nitrate is less toxic compared to NH3

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Chapter 3: Microorganism & Pollution However, if the nitrate reaches beyond 22 ppm, it becomes toxic to organisms and human. The disease is known as methaemoglobinaemia which affects the oxygen uptake system The permissible level of nitrate in drinking water is less than 10 ppm.

Nitrite is the intermediate byproduct in the oxidation of NH3 to NO3 It also causes the disease of methaemoglobinaemia Safety level of NO2 is <0.1 ppm

METABOLISM OF SULFUR COMPOUNDS Under anaerobic condition, microbial breakdown of sulfur organic compounds yields H2S The safety level of H2S ( unionized ) in water is < 3 g/L Microorganisms are also capable of producing other volatile sulfur gases such as SO2 and CH3SH ( methyl mercaptan ) which are toxic to organisms.

ACID RAINS

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Chapter 3: Microorganism & Pollution

ECOLOGICAL EFFECT In extreme cases, anaerobic conditions ensue, promoting growth of bacteria such as Clostridium botulinum that produces toxins deadly to birds and mammals

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Chapter 3: Microorganism & Pollution HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS (HABS) Marine and fresh waters teem with life, much of it microscopic, and most of it harmless; in fact, it is this microscopic life on which all aquatic life ultimately depends for food Harmful algal blooms may cause harm through the production of toxins or by their accumulated biomass, which can affect co-occurring organisms and alter food-web dynamics

Impacts include human illness and mortality following consumption of or indirect exposure to HAB toxins, substantial economic losses to coastal communities and commercial fisheries, and HAB-associated fish, bird and mammal mortalities. To the human eye, blooms can appear greenish, brown, and even reddish- orange depending upon the algal species, the aquatic ecosystem, and the concentration of the organisms

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Chapter 3: Microorganism & Pollution

RED TIDE "Red tide" is a common name for a phenomenon known as an algal bloom, an event in which estuarine, marine, or fresh water algae accumulate rapidly in the water column, or "bloom These algae, more specifically phytoplankton, are microscopic, single-celled protists, plant-like organisms that can form dense, visible patches near the water's surface

Not all algal blooms are dense enough to cause water discolouration, and not all discoloured waters associated with algal blooms are red. Additionally, red tides are not typically associated with tidal movement of water, hence the preference among scientists to use the term algal bloom Aquatic Pollution | MMS 3202 10

Chapter 3: Microorganism & Pollution Certain species of phytoplankton contain photosynthetic pigments that vary in colour from green to brown to red, and when the algae are present in high concentrations, the water appears to be discoloured or murky, varying in colour from purple to almost pink, normally being red or green

Some red tides are associated with the production of natural toxins, depletion of dissolved oxygen or other harmful impacts, and are generally described as harmful algal blooms. The most conspicuous effects of red tides are the associated wildlife mortalities among marine and coastal species of fish, birds, marine mammals and other organisms

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Chapter 3: Microorganism & Pollution Assignment 1 : RED TIDE ? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Where are RED TIDE found recently in Malaysia and Asia ? What factors cause RED TIDE phenomenon ? How are RED TIDE harmful ? RED TIDE health effect to aquatic organism and human ? How to prevent RED TIDE phenomenon ?

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