Microbes at Work

Microbes are essential for our planet’s health, as they decompose and recycle the dead. Microbes break down both organic and inorganic materials, such as animal waste and plant litter, to obtain nutrients. This process of decomposition releases important chemicals that can be used to build new plants and animals. In this way, macroscopic objects like flowers or vegetables are converted into microscopic components which will eventually become part of another living organism – an amazing cycle that demonstrates the power of microbes! So the next time you notice something decaying or rotting away, remember: it is these small organisms at work doing big things to maintain life on Earth.

Microbes are essential to the health of food webs, and they play a critical role in supplying energy to many animals. Microbes are found in soil, water, and the atmosphere and provide a variety of benefits to their environments. For instance, microbes at Great Salt Lake supply energy for brine flies and brine shrimp that feed migratory birds. These birds depend upon the microbes for sustenance during their long journeys across North America each year. Microbes not only feed these animals directly; they also help break down organic material into simpler forms that can be consumed by other organisms higher up on the food chain. In this way, microbes truly feed the world! By providing an essential source of energy, they support entire ecosystems both locally and globally.

Microbes play a crucial role in keeping us healthy. Good bacteria in our mouth help prevent fungal growth, while the bacteria on our forearms keep our skin healthy. Microbes are also essential for digestion; they break down carbohydrates and provide us with essential vitamins. Microbes even benefit other plants and animals, as every species unknowingly houses trillions of them. In fact, microbes outnumber our own cells ten to one! Without these beneficial microorganisms, life, as we know it simply, wouldn’t exist. Microbes play an integral part in ensuring that humans remain healthy and well-functioning. Thus, the importance of maintaining a balanced microbial ecosystem cannot be overestimated. Microbes truly have an amazing capacity to keep us all healthy and thriving!

We typically think of plants as producing the oxygen we breathe. But plants are only part of the story. Photosynthetic bacteria (called cyanobacteria) living in lakes, ponds, and shallow oceans produce 50% of the oxygen we breathe. Our oxygen-filled atmosphere is the legacy of microbes that lived billions of years ago. Before the evolution of photosynthetic bacteria, ancient earth lacked oxygen, and carbon dioxide was much more prevalent.

Microbes are the only organisms capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into a form usable by other living things. This essential process, known as nitrogen fixation, provides all other life forms with the nitrogen needed to build their RNA, DNA, and protein molecules. Certain bacteria possess enzymes that break down N2 molecules into nitrate (NO3-) or ammonium (NH4+), which are then used by plants and animals. In many cases, this relationship is symbiotic; the bacteria receive food from the plant while the plant benefits from access to usable nitrogen. Microbes thus play an integral role in providing a source of this important nutrient for all other life on Earth.

Just about every decade, there is an unintentional oil spill somewhere in the world, and microbes are part of the solution. Researchers have discovered that certain aquatic microbes grow in number following an oil spill. It takes years, but the oil-eating bacteria eventually break down and recycle the oil’s chemical components (mostly carbon and hydrogen).

Other metabolically talented microbes can metabolize metals, acids, salt, methane, or even radioactive wastes. There seems to be a microbe for every pollutant. Thus microbes are routinely used to treat sewage, clean abandoned mines, and degrade a variety of industrial chemicals.

It takes energy to light our homes, power our computers, and fuel our cars. Currently, we get energy from underground fuels that take millions of years to make. These “fossil” fuels (petroleum, coal, oil, natural gas) will likely run out within the next 50-100 years. In contrast, sun, wind, and moving water can continue to provide energy every day. Microbes are another source of renewable energy, along with plant oils and animal fat. For example, microscopic algae store energy in the form of oil (when deprived of nutrients). These oils can be extracted and converted into usable fuel.

The more we learn about microbes, the more we appreciate what these tiny creatures can do.