Microorganism Facts For Kids

Micro-organisms
F UN FOR ME!
Biology for Kids -
http://mocomi.com/learn/science/biology/
Copyright 2012 Mocomi & Anibrain Digital Technologies Pvt. Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Micro-organisms
MICRO-ORGANISMS
??
?
!
t
e
a
p
h
o
W
N
g,
n
i
e
b
living
If you are put in an empty room with nobody

around and are asked to point at a living being
apart from yourself you will probably say Stop
being silly. Well, think again.
There are tiny little organisms all around you,
which are so small that it is impossible to see
them with your naked eye. These are called microorganisms or microbes.
F UN FOR ME!
Micro-organisms
What exactly is a microbe?

A microbe is the smallest and
simplest form of living being,
which can be seen only with
the aid of a microscope.
Microbes come is many different shapes, sizes and varieties. They can work alone or in
colonies. For example, an
amoeba can live alone in solitary bliss while fungi help each
other survive by working in
colonies.
F UN FOR ME!
Micro-organisms
Micro
bes
Most importantly, microbes make up the largest number

of living organisms on the planet. There are a million
upon billion upon trillion microbes around the world.
F UN FOR ME!
Micro-organisms
Some of these can make their

own food, like plants do and are
called autotrophic.
Some depend on other living organisms for food like humans and
animals do and are called heterotrophic.
hete
c
i
h
p
o
utotr
rotro
phic
Micro-organisms can reproduce

sexually or asexually.
F UN FOR ME!
.com
Micro-organisms
WHERE DO MICRO-ORGANISMS LIVE?
Ci
rq
ue
No climate is too hot or too cold for micro-organisms and

no place is too wet or too dry. They can make a home in the
North Pole as well as in a geyser. They can live in a rock or
in the deepest part of an ocean.
Glacier
F UN FOR ME!
.com
Micro-organisms
Microbes called extremophiles have been isolated

from rocks as much as seven
kilometres below the Earths
surface.
It has been suggested that
the amount of living organisms below the Earths surface may be equivalent with
the amount of life above the
surface.
F UN FOR ME!
.com
Micro-organisms
These extremophiles have been known to survive for a

prolonged time in a vacuum, and can also be resistant to
radiation, which means they also might be able to survive
in space.
F UN FOR ME!
.com
Micro-organisms
Many types of micro-organisms

have intimate symbiotic relationships with other larger organisms;
some of which are mutually beneficial, while others can be damaging
to the host organism. Some microorganisms can cause disease in a
host and are known as pathogens.
ns
e
g
o
ath
F UN FOR ME!
.com
Micro-organisms
MICRO-ORGANISMS OUR FRIENDS

We all love to eat curd, but have you ever thought of how it
is made? The answer is micro-organisms. The bacterium
called lactobacillus reproduces in milk and helps convert
milk into curd. Micro-organisms are also useful in other
food-making processes like brewing, winemaking, baking
and pickling.
+
F UN FOR ME!
.com
bact
=
erium
Micro-organisms
Microorganisms
are
vital to humans
and the environment, as they participate
in
the
Earths element cycles such as the carbon cycle and nitrogen cycle, as well as fulfilling other vital roles in virtually all
ecosystems, such as recycling other organisms dead remains and waste products through decomposition.
F UN FOR ME!
.com
Micro-organisms
Micro-organisms such as bacteria decompose organic

waste into manure and increase the fertility of the soil.
manure
F UN FOR ME!
.com
Micro-organisms
antibiotics
They are also used for making

medicines. When you have flu
or viral fever and you go to
the doctor, you are usually
given medicines called antibiotics.
These are made with the help
of micro-organisms. Some
bacteria and fungi are used
to make these medicines
which kill or stop the growth
of disease causing microorganisms.
F UN FOR ME!
.com
Micro-organisms
Vaccines are dead or weakened microbes introduced into

the body to produce antibodies. These antibodies protect
the body from disease causing microbes. Diseases like
polio, cholera, typhoid, small pox, hepatitis etc. can be prevented by taking vaccines.
ne
i
c
c
va
Microbes are also essential tools in biotechnology, biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology.
F UN FOR ME!
.com
Micro-organisms
MICRO-ORGANISMS TO BEWARE OF
Just like micro-organisms are helpful to human beings and
the environment they can also be harmful. Some microorganisms called pathogens cause diseases in plants and
animals.
There are some micro-organisms which grow in food substances and produce toxic substances making the food
poisonous, causing illness and even death.
micro-organisms
F UN FOR ME!
.com
Micro-organisms
There are many micro-organisms which you would want to

keep out of your house because they spoil materials like
clothing, leather, wood etc.
Micro-organisms can also be the cause of many infectious
diseases.
The organisms involved include pathogenic bacteria that
causes diseases such as plague, tuberculosis and anthrax; protozoa, causing diseases such as malaria and
also fungi causing diseases such as ringworm.
F UN FOR ME!
.com
Micro-organisms
Disease causing micro-organisms called pathogens enter

our body through air, water, food, contact or insects.
They spread communicable diseases, which can spread
from an infected person to a healthy person.
Some insects and animals act as carriers of disease causing microbes.
For example a housefly can carry malaria causing microbes while a mosquito can carry the microbes that
cause dengue fever.
F UN FOR ME!
.com
Micro-organisms
For more such biology articles, visit:

http://mocomi.com/learn/science/biology/
PROJECT
Anton Van Leeuwenhoek
discovered the first microbe in 1675. Can you
find out how he did this?
F UN FOR ME!
.com

Microorganism Facts For Kids

Transféré par

Informations du document

Titre original

Copyright

Formats disponibles

Partager ce document

Partager ou intégrer le document

Options de partage

Avez-vous trouvé ce document utile ?

Ce contenu est-il inapproprié ?

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

Microorganism Facts For Kids

Transféré par

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

Micro-organisms

Biology for Kids -

If you are put in an empty room with nobody

What exactly is a microbe?

Most importantly, microbes make up the largest number

Some of these can make their

Micro-organisms can reproduce

WHERE DO MICRO-ORGANISMS LIVE?

No climate is too hot or too cold for micro-organisms and

Microbes called extremophiles have been isolated

These extremophiles have been known to survive for a

Many types of micro-organisms

MICRO-ORGANISMS OUR FRIENDS

Micro-organisms such as bacteria decompose organic

They are also used for making

Vaccines are dead or weakened microbes introduced into

There are many micro-organisms which you would want to

Disease causing micro-organisms called pathogens enter

For more such biology articles, visit:

Vous aimerez peut-être aussi