Microorganisms are very small organisms that are not visible to the naked eye. They can live in all environments from cold to hot and in places like air, water, soil, and inside other living things. All ecosystems depend on microorganisms like fungi, cyanobacteria, and lichens that form a layer in soil. Microorganisms can be unicellular like amoebas or multicellular like mold. They are broadly classified as bacteria, algae, protozoa, or fungi.

2. MICROORGANISMS
These organisms are very small and are not visible
to the unaided eyes.
Microorganisms can live in all kinds of environment ,
ranging from ice cold climate to hot springs andranging from ice cold climate to hot springs and
deserts to marshy lands.
They are found in air , water ,soil and in the bodies
of plants and animals.

3. MICROORGANISMS
All of the living things, plant and animal, in earth's environmental communities of forests,
deserts, tundra, water, air, and all of the rest depend on the crypto biotic crust or micro biotic
layer in the soil. This is the layer of soil that most microbes live in. These microbe communities
are made up of fungi, cyanobacteria and lichens. They look like a grayish cover on the ground
when they are first forming, but do form in clumps of lichen that look like little hills after about
50 years of growth.
The cyanobacteria called Nostoc helps lichen
produce food during photosynthesis.

4. CLASSIFICATION OF MICROORGANISMS
Microorganisms can be unicellular like Amoeba or
multicellular like Rhizopus.
Microorganisms are classified broadly into 4 groups:
i. Bacteriai. Bacteria
ii. Algae
iii. Protozoa
iv. Fungi

6. BACTERIA

7. BACTERIA
ROD -SHAPED
BACTERIA
This is a Magneto-
tactic bacteria
and produces the
mineral
Magnetite. The
magnetite act as
a natural magnet.
Bacteria are part of a very large group of
single-celled organisms. There is one group of
FILAMENTOUS
single-celled organisms. There is one group of
bacteria that have chlorophyll and use the
process of photosynthesis to produce their
own food. Bacteria that are parasites live
inside man, animals, and some plants causing
diseases. Some bacteria are aerobic, meaning
that they require oxygen in order to survive.
Other bacteria are anaerobes, meaning that
they do not require oxygen to survive.
Bacteria is moved by air and water currents,
and on any surface such as clothing, hands,
or any object. They move themselves by
using thin hair-like structures called flagella
or by wriggling.
FILAMENTOUS
BACTERIA
Filamentous
iron oxidizing
bacterium

8. ALGAE

9. PROTOZOA

10. FUNGI

11. FUNGI
Fungi is a group of simple plants that have no chlorophyll. There are some species of fungi that are single celled
organisms, and there are other kinds of fungi that are multi-cellular organisms. Fungi are made up of filaments
called hyphe that are stacked together from end to end. Some kinds of fungi live on land and other types of fungi
live in water environments. Since fungi has no chlorophyll, it can not make its own food. Some types of fungi lives
off of other organisms and are parasites, but other fungi species feed off of dead and decaying matter. A third kind
of fungi lives with other organisms and neither the fungi or the organism is hurt. This kind of relationship is called
positive symbiosis When reproductive hyphae cells are made by the fungus, a mushroom shape forms at the top.
The scientific name for the mushroom shape is the sporocarp. It has one purpose, that is to release reproductive
spores. The sporocarp is not part of the live fungi. Reproduction in fungi is sexual,
but the spores which contain the reproductive cells must somehow come in
contact with one another before fungi can reproduce.
Spores are released from the
underside of mushroom caps
during the reproductive cycle
of mushrooms
Hyphae
Trichoderma is a good
fungi, it attacks bad fungus
that destroys crops.
Witches Broom Fungi
attacks cacao trees
that produce chocolate
Fungus in caves

12. VIRUS

13. Viruses are non-living microscopic particles that attack healthy cells within living things. They do not have
the characteristics of living things and are not able to change food energy into chemical energy that the body
can use. Viruses are not alive, so they do not have a need for food like living organisms. Viruses do not have
an organized cell structure. They are so light that they can float in the air or water, be passed on to other
organisms if touched, and fit anywhere. The virus injects its own DNA structure into healthy cells where new
virus cells grow. Viruses can not reproduce by themselves like bacteria or cells. They must attach themselves
VIRUS
POLIO VIRUS
to the cell membrane of animals, or cell wall of plants and inject
a part of their DNA into the cells of the host organism.. They do
this by using a hollow tube structure to puncture the cell
wall/membrane and pass its DNA into the cell. New virus cells
are incubated inside the invaded cell. Once the virus DNA
reproduces itself inside the cell, it uses the natural process ofreproduces itself inside the cell, it uses the natural process of
osmosis to leave the cell. These new virus cells attach to other
healthy cells and infect them too.
Viruses like this
Plum Pox attack
plants and ruin
the fruit. It is
spread from plant
to plant by insects
like this green
peach aphid
Green peach aphid