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Ch-2- Microorganisms (- Notes) Part-1

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8 views3 pages

Ch-2- Microorganisms (- Notes) Part-1

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abcd
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Ch-2 Microorganisms- Notes

Question 1: What are microorganisms? How can they be seen?


ANSWER: The living organisms which cannot be seen with the naked eye and can only
be observed through a microscope are called microorganisms or microbes.
Anton Van Leeuwenhoeck, a Dutch scientist, observed living cells for the first time with
the help of a microscope in 1674.

Question 2: What are the major groups of microorganisms? Draw diagrams of 3 egs. of
each.

S.
No. Bacteria Protozoa Algae Fungi
1 Unicellular Unicellular Unicellular and Unicellular and
multicellular multicellular
2 Prokaryotic Eukaryotic Eukaryotic Eukaryotic
3 Cell wall present Cell wall absent Cell wall present Cell wall present
4 Simplest living organism, First animal like Simple plant like Plant like
most primitive. organism. structure with no true organisms that
roots, stems or leaves; lack chlorophyll.
also called sea weeds.

5 Heterotrophic and Heterotrophic Autotrophic Saprotrophic


Autotrophic ( Euglena-
( cyanobacteria - autotrophic) autotrophic)

6 Examples- Examples- Examples- Examples-


Found in different shapes- a.Amoeba ( Unicellular- Unicellular-
a.Bacilli (rod-shaped)- E.coli, with a. Chlamydomonas, a.Yeast
lactobacillus, pseudomonas Pseudopodia) Multicellular- Multicellular-
b.Cocci(spherical)- b.Paramecium b. Spirogyra b.Bread mould (
Streptococcus pneumoniae (with cilia) (filamentous), Rhizopus)
c.Vibrio(comma shaped)- c. Euglena c.Volvox ( colonial) c.Penicillium
Vibrio cholerae (autotrophic d Mushroom (
d.Spirilla (spiral shaped)- with flagella) Agaricus)
Treponema pallidum d.Trypanosoma

(On the LHS white sheet Draw diagrams of – Bacteria ( a,b) , Protozoa –(a,b,c), Algae –(a,b) ,
Fungi- (b,c) )

Question 3: Microorganisms are found even in places where no other life forms can
exist. What makes microorganisms so hardy?
ANSWER: Microorganisms can survive under all types of environment, ranging from ice
cold climate to hot springs, deserts, marshy lands or inside the bodies of other living
organisms. This is because they form a hard outer covering called a cyst around
themselves that makes them hardy. Under unfavourable circumstances, they survive by
remaining inside the cyst in an inactive form.
Question 4: Why are viruses considered to be on the borderline of the living and
non-living? How do viruses cause diseases?
ANSWER: Viruses are acellular, that is they lack a cellular structure. Also, they do not
grow, respond to changes or reproduce by themselves, which makes them
non-living.
However, when a virus enters the living cell of an organism, it starts reproducing only
inside the cells of the host organism. This makes viruses living, as reproduction is an
important characteristic of a living organism.
Due to this, viruses are considered to be on the borderline of the living and non-living.

( Draw diagram of Virus – on the LHS white sheet)

Question 5: What are antibiotics? How are they manufactured? What will happen if
you take antibiotics when not needed?
ANSWER: Medicines which kill or stop the growth of the disease-causing
microorganisms are called antibiotics. The antibiotics are manufactured by growing
specific microorganisms.
If you take antibiotics when not needed, you help bacteria in your body to develop
resistance to them. It will make the drug less effective when you might need it in future.
Antibiotics taken unnecessarily may kill the beneficial bacteria in the body.

Question 6: How does a vaccine work?


ANSWER: Vaccines are produced from dead or weakened microorganisms such as
bacteria or a virus. When a vaccine is introduced into a heathy body, it produces specific
antibodies against the pathogen. These antibodies become active when the pathogen
attacks our body and fights and kills them by producing specific set of reactions.
These antibodies remain in the body for life long and protect against the microbe when
microbe enters the body again. Antibodies are antigen specific.
Vaccines can be given either orally (in the forms of drops) or injected in the body.

Question 7: What is fermentation? Discuss its use in making alcoholic beverages.


ANSWER: The conversion of sugar into alcohol by yeast is known as fermentation.
This process is used in the preparation of alcoholic beverages like beer and wine.
Beer is produced by the fermentation of sugar in germinating barley and wine is
prepared by fermentation of sugar in grapes.
Question 8: Which microorganism is used to make bread soft and fluffy? Discuss how
this happens.
ANSWER: Yeast is used to make bread soft and fluffy. When yeast is mixed with
the flour for making bread, it breaks down sugar and produces alcohol and carbon
dioxide gas. When the bread is being baked, carbon dioxide gas escapes due to
the heat, causing the bread to become soft and fluffy.

Question 9: Discuss the role of microorganisms in:


(a) Cleaning the environment; (b) Increasing soil fertility.
ANSWER:
Cleaning the environment-Bacteria, protozoa and fungi act as decomposers. These
decomposers break down organic matter present in the bodies of dead plants and
animals into simple substances and mix them in the soil. A plant growing in this soil
absorbs the nutrients and passes them to the animals that consume the plant products.
Thus, these microorganisms act as decomposers and help in recycling the
nutrients in the soil.
Increasing soil fertility- Some bacteria and blue green algae are able to fix nitrogen from
the atmosphere to enrich soil with nitrogen and increase its fertility. The bacteria known
as Rhizobium lives in the root nodules of leguminous plants.
These bacteria fix the atmospheric nitrogen and converts it into nitrates that can be
used by the plants. These microbes are commonly called biological nitrogen fixers.

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