Category Archives: Microbes

Microbes are tiny living things that are found all around us and are too small to be seen by the naked eye. They live in water, soil, and the air. The human body is home to millions of these microbes too. They are also known as microorganisms or microscopic organisms as they could only be seen under a microscope. They make up almost 60% of the earth’s living matter.

Sexual Reproduction – An Important Innovation of the Early Protists.​

The Kingdom Protista includes diverse kinds of predominantly water-dwelling unicellular eukaryotic microorganism. Protists, like Monerans, have an immense reproductive potential. In an optimal environment, they may reproduce several times a day. This is mainly by asexual reproduction, using the process of mitosis. However, they also reproduce sexually. Continue reading Sexual Reproduction – An Important Innovation of the Early Protists.​

​Why are some fungi grouped under “fungi imperfecti”?

There are over 100,000 species of fungi. Some of them are one-celled like the yeasts; others are complex like mushrooms and some of them are called imperfect fungi. Fungi are the major decomposers (besides bacteria) and some parasitic forms of fungi may also cause diseases in plants and animals. Continue reading ​Why are some fungi grouped under “fungi imperfecti”?

Why Blue Green Algae are not included in Plantae Kingdom?

Blue Green Algae also called as Cyanobacteria are one of the most successful organisms on this planet. They are gram-negative (do not take up gram stain) and photosynthetic microorganism. They have successfully survived for over 3 billion years on our planet earth. Initially, they were classified Plantae due to their ability to photosynthesis, but later they were moved to the Monera Kingdom. Continue reading Why Blue Green Algae are not included in Plantae Kingdom?

11 Industrial Products that are derived from Microbes.

In Industrial Microbiology, microbes are used to synthesize a number of products valuable to human beings. This industry has provided products that have deeply changed our lives and life spans. There are various industrial products that are derived from microbes such as beverages, food additives, products for human and animal health, and biofuels.

Continue reading 11 Industrial Products that are derived from Microbes.

Bacterial Conjugation – A Primitive form of Sexual Reproduction.

Several Bacteria (like Escherichia Coli) exhibit a form of sexual reproduction called Bacterial Conjugation. It is the transfer of genetic material between bacterial cells by direct cell-to-cell contact or by a bridge-like connection between two cells. It was discovered by Nobel Prize winners, Joshua Lederberg and Edward L. Tatum in 1946.

Continue reading Bacterial Conjugation – A Primitive form of Sexual Reproduction.