Organisms of thermal waters. Extreme sports in the animal world Bacteria living in hot springs
Some organisms, when compared with others, have a number of undeniable advantages, for example, the ability to withstand extremely high or low temperatures. There are a lot of such hardy living creatures in the world. In the article below you will get acquainted with the most amazing of them. They, without exaggeration, are able to survive even in extreme conditions.
1. Himalayan jumping spiders
Bar-headed geese are known to be among the highest flying birds in the world. They are capable of flying at an altitude of more than 6 thousand meters above the ground.
Do you know where the highest locality on the ground? In Peru. This is the city of La Rinconada, located in the Andes near the border with Bolivia at an altitude of about 5100 meters above sea level.
Meanwhile, the record for the highest living creatures on planet Earth goes to the Himalayan jumping spiders Euophrys omnisuperstes ("standing above everything"), which live in nooks and crannies on the slopes of Mount Everest. Climbers found them even at an altitude of 6,700 meters. These tiny spiders feed on insects that get carried up to mountain peaks strong wind. They are the only living creatures that permanently live at such a great height, not counting, of course, some species of birds. It is also known that Himalayan jumping spiders are able to survive even in conditions of lack of oxygen.
2. Giant Kangaroo Jumper
When we are asked to name an animal that can do without drinking water long periods of time, the first thing that comes to mind is a camel. However, in the desert without water it can survive no more than 15 days. And no, camels do not store water reserves in their humps, as many people mistakenly believe. Meanwhile, there are still animals on Earth that live in the desert and are able to live without a single drop of water throughout their entire lives!
Giant kangaroo hoppers are relatives of beavers. Their lifespan ranges from three to five years. Giant kangaroo jumpers receive water along with their food, and they feed mainly on seeds.
Giant kangaroo jumpers, as scientists note, do not sweat at all, so they do not lose, but, on the contrary, accumulate water in the body. You can find them in Death Valley (California). Giant kangaroo jumpers in this moment are in danger of extinction.
3. Worms that are resistant to high temperatures
Since water conducts heat from the human body about 25 times more efficiently than air, a temperature of 50 degrees Celsius in the depths of the sea will be much more dangerous than on land. This is why bacteria thrive underwater, and not multicellular organisms that cannot withstand too high temperatures. But there are exceptions...
Marine deep sea annelids Paralvinella sulfincola, which live near hydrothermal vents at the bottom Pacific Ocean, are perhaps the most heat-loving living creatures on the planet. The results of an experiment conducted by scientists with heating an aquarium showed that these worms prefer to settle where the temperature reaches 45-55 degrees Celsius.
4. Greenland shark
Greenland sharks are among the largest living creatures on planet Earth, but scientists know almost nothing about them. They swim very slowly, on par with an ordinary amateur swimmer. However, it is almost impossible to see Greenland sharks in ocean waters, since they usually live at a depth of 1200 meters.
Greenland sharks are also considered the most cold-loving creatures in the world. They prefer to live in places where the temperature reaches 1-12 degrees Celsius.
Greenland sharks live in cold waters, which means they have to conserve energy; this explains the fact that they swim very slowly - at a speed of no more than two kilometers per hour. Greenland sharks are also called “sleeper sharks.” They are not picky about food: they eat whatever they can catch.
According to some scientists, the life expectancy of Greenland sharks can reach 200 years, but this has not yet been proven.
5. Devil's worms
For several decades, scientists thought that only single-celled organisms could survive at very great depths. It was believed that multicellular life forms could not live there due to lack of oxygen, pressure and high temperatures. However, just recently, researchers discovered microscopic worms at a depth of several thousand meters from the surface of the earth.
The nematodes Halicephalobus mephisto, named after a demon from German folklore, were discovered by Gaetan Borgoni and Tallis Onstott in 2011 in water samples taken at a depth of 3.5 kilometers in a cave in South Africa. Scientists have found that they show high resistance to various extreme conditions, like those roundworms that survived the Columbia space shuttle disaster that occurred on February 1, 2003. The discovery of devil worms could help expand the search for life on Mars and any other planet in our Galaxy.
6. Frogs
Scientists have noticed that some species of frogs literally freeze with the onset of winter and, thawing in the spring, return to full life. IN North America There are five species of such frogs, the most common of which is Rana sylvatica, or Wood Frog.
Wood frogs do not know how to burrow into the ground, so with the onset of cold weather they simply hide under fallen leaves and freeze, like everything around them. Inside the body, their natural “antifreeze” defense mechanism is triggered, and they, like a computer, go into “sleep mode”. The glucose reserves in the liver largely allow them to survive the winter. But the most amazing thing is that Wood Frogs show their amazing ability both in wildlife, and in laboratory conditions.
7. Deep Sea Bacteria
We all know that the deepest point of the World Ocean is the Mariana Trench, which is located at a depth of more than 11 thousand meters. At its bottom, the water pressure reaches 108.6 MPa, which is approximately 1072 times more than normal atmospheric pressure at the level of the World Ocean. A few years ago, scientists using high-resolution cameras placed in glass spheres discovered giant amoebas in the Mariana Trench. According to James Cameron, who led the expedition, other life forms also flourish there.
Having studied water samples from the bottom of the Mariana Trench, scientists discovered a huge number of bacteria in it, which, surprisingly, actively multiplied, despite the great depth and extreme pressure.
8. Bdelloidea
Rotifers Bdelloidea are small invertebrate animals that are usually found in fresh water.
Representatives of the rotifers Bdelloidea lack males; populations are represented only by parthenogenetic females. Bdelloidea breeding asexually, which scientists believe negatively affects their DNA. Which one is the best? The best way overcome these harmful effects? Answer: eat the DNA of other life forms. Thanks to this approach, Bdelloidea has evolved an amazing ability to withstand extreme dehydration. Moreover, they can survive even after receiving a dose of radiation that is lethal for most living organisms.
Scientists believe that Bdelloidea's ability to repair DNA was originally given to them to survive in high temperatures.
9. Cockroaches
There is a popular myth that after a nuclear war, only cockroaches will remain alive on Earth. These insects can go for weeks without food or water, but even more amazing is the fact that they can live many days after losing their heads. Cockroaches appeared on Earth 300 million years ago, even earlier than dinosaurs.
The hosts of “MythBusters” in one of the programs decided to test cockroaches for survivability in the course of several experiments. First, they exposed a certain number of insects to 1,000 rads of radiation, a dose that could kill healthy person in a matter of minutes. Almost half of them managed to survive. After the MythBusters increased the radiation power to 10 thousand rads (as with atomic bombing Hiroshima). This time, only 10 percent of the cockroaches survived. When the radiation power reached 100 thousand rads, not a single cockroach, unfortunately, managed to survive.
Some organisms have a special advantage that allows them to withstand the most extreme conditions where others simply cannot cope. Such abilities include resistance to enormous pressure, extreme temperatures, and others. These ten creatures from our list will give odds to anyone who dares to claim the title of the most resilient organism.
10. Himalayan jumping spider
The Asian wild goose is famous for flying at altitudes of over 6.5 kilometers, while the highest human settlement is at 5,100 meters in the Peruvian Andes. However, the high-altitude record does not belong to geese, but to the Himalayan jumping spider (Euophrys omnisuperstes). Living at an altitude of over 6,700 meters, this spider feeds mainly on small insects carried there by gusts of wind. A key feature of this insect is its ability to survive in conditions of almost complete absence of oxygen.
9. Giant Kangaroo Jumper
Usually, when we think about the animals that can survive the longest without water, the camel immediately comes to mind. But camels can survive without water in the desert for only 15 days. Meanwhile, you will be surprised to learn that there is an animal in the world that can live its entire life without drinking a drop of water. Giant kangaroo hopper - close relative beavers Their average lifespan is usually between 3 and 5 years. They usually obtain moisture from food, eating various seeds. In addition, these rodents do not sweat, thereby avoiding additional water loss. These animals usually live in Death Valley, and are currently endangered.
Since heat in water is more efficiently transferred to organisms, a water temperature of 50 degrees Celsius will be much more dangerous than the same air temperature. For this reason, predominantly bacteria thrive in underwater hot springs, which cannot be said about multicellular life forms. However, there is special kind worms called paralvinella sulfincola, which happily make their home in areas where the water reaches temperatures of 45-55 degrees. Scientists conducted an experiment where one of the walls of the aquarium was heated, as a result it turned out that the worms preferred to stay in this particular place, ignoring cooler places. It is believed that this feature was developed by the worms so that they could feast on the bacteria found in abundance in hot springs. Because they didn't have it before natural enemies, bacteria were relatively easy prey.
7. Greenland shark
The Greenland shark is one of the largest and least studied sharks on the planet. Despite the fact that they swim quite slowly (any amateur swimmer can overtake them), they are extremely rarely seen. This is due to the fact that this type of shark usually lives at a depth of 1200 meters. In addition, this shark is one of the most resistant to cold. She usually prefers to stay in water whose temperature ranges between 1 and 12 degrees Celsius. Because these sharks live in cold waters, they have to move extremely slowly to minimize their energy expenditure. They are indiscriminate in food and eat everything that comes their way. There are rumors that their lifespan is about 200 years, but no one has yet been able to confirm or deny it.
6. Devil's Worm
For many decades, scientists believed that only single-celled organisms could survive at great depths. In their opinion, high blood pressure, lack of oxygen and extreme temperatures stood in the way of multicellular creatures. But then microscopic worms were discovered at a depth of several kilometers. Named halicephalobus mephisto, after a demon from German folklore, it was discovered in water samples 2.2 kilometers below the surface of the earth, located in one of the caves in South Africa. They managed to survive extreme environmental conditions, suggesting that life may be possible on Mars and other planets in our galaxy.
5. Frogs
Some species of frogs are widely known for their ability to literally freeze throughout the winter and come back to life when spring arrives. Five species of such frogs have been found in North America, the most common of which is the common tree frog. Because the tree frogs not very strong at burying, they simply hide under fallen leaves. They have a substance like antifreeze in their veins, and although their hearts eventually stop, it is temporary. The basis of their survival technique is the huge concentration of glucose entering the blood from the frog's liver. What is even more surprising is the fact that frogs are able to demonstrate their ability to freeze not only in natural environment, but also in laboratory conditions, allowing scientists to reveal their secrets.
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4. Deep Sea Microbes
We all know that the deepest point in the world is the Mariana Trench. Its depth reaches almost 11 kilometers, and the pressure there exceeds atmospheric pressure 1100 times. Several years ago, scientists managed to discover giant amoebas there, which they managed to photograph using a camera with high resolution and protected by a glass sphere from the enormous pressure that reigns at the bottom. Moreover, a recent expedition sent by James Cameron himself showed that other forms of life may exist in the depths of the Mariana Trench. Samples of bottom sediments were obtained, which proved that the depression was literally teeming with microbes. This fact amazed scientists, because the extreme conditions prevailing there, as well as the enormous pressure, are far from a paradise.
3. Bdelloidea
Rotifers of the species Bdelloidea are incredibly tiny female invertebrates, usually found in fresh water. Since their discovery, no males of the species have been found, and rotifers themselves reproduce asexually, which in turn destroys their own DNA. They restore their native DNA by eating other types of microorganisms. Thanks to this ability, rotifers can withstand extreme dehydration, in fact, they are able to withstand levels of radiation that would kill most living organisms on our planet. Scientists believe that their ability to repair their DNA came about as a result of their need to survive in extremely arid environments.
2. Cockroach
There is a myth that cockroaches will be the only living organisms that will survive nuclear war. In fact, these insects can live without water or food for several weeks, and what's more, they can live for weeks without a head. Cockroaches have been around for 300 million years, outliving even the dinosaurs. The Discovery Channel conducted a series of experiments that were supposed to show whether cockroaches would survive or not under powerful nuclear radiation. As a result, it turned out that almost half of all insects were able to survive radiation of 1000 rads (such radiation can kill an adult healthy person in just 10 minutes of exposure); moreover, 10% of cockroaches survived exposure to radiation of 10,000 rads, which is equal to radiation at nuclear explosion in Hiroshima. Unfortunately, none of these small insects survived the 100,000 rad radiation dose.
1. Tardigrades
Tiny aquatic organisms, called tardigrades, turned out to be the hardiest organisms on our planet. These seemingly cute animals are able to survive almost any extreme conditions, be it heat or cold, enormous pressure or high radiation. They are able to survive for some time even in space. In extreme conditions and in a state of extreme dehydration, these creatures are able to remain alive for several decades. They come to life as soon as you place them in a pond.
High temperatures are harmful to almost all living things. An increase in environmental temperature to +50 °C is quite enough to cause depression and death of a wide variety of organisms. No need to talk about more high temperatures.
The limit for the spread of life is considered to be a temperature of +100 °C, at which protein denaturation occurs, that is, the structure of protein molecules is destroyed. For a long period it was believed that there were no creatures in nature that could easily tolerate temperatures in the range from 50 to 100 ° C. However latest discoveries scientists say the opposite.
First, bacteria were discovered that were adapted to life in hot springs with water temperatures up to +90 ºС. In 1983 another major scientific discovery. A group of American biologists studied thermal water sources saturated with metals located at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.
Black smokers, similar to truncated cones, are found at a depth of 2000 m. Their height is 70 m, and their base diameter is 200 m. Smokers were first discovered near the Galapagos Islands.
Located at great depths, these “black smokers,” as geologists call them, actively absorb water. Here it heats up due to the heat coming from the deep hot substance of the Earth, and takes on a temperature of more than +200 ° C.
The water in the springs does not boil only because it is under high pressure and is enriched with metals from the bowels of the planet. A column of water rises above the “black smokers”. The pressure created here, at a depth of about 2000 m (and even much greater), is 265 atm. At such a high pressure, even mineralized waters of some springs, having temperatures up to +350 ° C, do not boil.
As a result of mixing with ocean water, thermal waters cool relatively quickly, but the bacteria discovered by the Americans at these depths try to stay away from the cooled water. Amazing microorganisms have adapted to eat minerals in those waters heated to +250 °C. Lower temperatures have a depressing effect on microbes. Already in water with a temperature of about +80 ° C, although bacteria remain viable, they stop multiplying.
Scientists do not know exactly what is the secret of the fantastic endurance of these tiny living creatures, which easily tolerate heating to the melting point of tin.
The body shape of the bacteria inhabiting black smokers is irregular. Often organisms are equipped with long projections. Bacteria absorb sulfur, turning it into organic matter. Pogonophora and vestimentifera formed a symbiosis with them in order to eat this organic matter.
Careful biochemical studies revealed the presence of a protective mechanism in bacterial cells. The molecule of the substance of heredity DNA, on which genetic information is stored, in a number of species is enveloped in a layer of protein that absorbs excess heat.
The DNA itself includes an abnormally high content of guanine-cytosine pairs. All other living beings on our planet have a much smaller number of these associations within their DNA. It turns out that the bond between guanine and cytosine is very difficult to break by heating.
Therefore, most of these compounds simply serve the purpose of strengthening the molecule and only then the purpose of encoding genetic information.
Amino acids serve components protein molecules in which they are held due to special chemical bonds. If we compare the proteins of deep-sea bacteria with proteins of other living organisms similar in the parameters listed above, it turns out that due to additional amino acids, there are additional connections in the proteins of high-temperature microbes.
But experts are sure that this is not the secret of bacteria. Heating cells within +100 - 120º C is quite enough to damage DNA protected by the listed chemical devices. This means that there must be other ways within bacteria to avoid destroying their cells. Protein that makes up microscopic inhabitants thermal springs, includes special particles - amino acids of a type that are not found in any other creature living on Earth.
The protein molecules of bacterial cells, which have special protective (strengthening) components, have special protection. Lipids, that is, fats and fat-like substances, have an unusual structure. Their molecules are united chains of atoms. Chemical analysis of lipids from high-temperature bacteria showed that in these organisms lipid chains are intertwined, which serves to further strengthen the molecules.
However, the analysis data can be understood in another way, so the hypothesis of intertwined chains remains unproven. But even if we take it as an axiom, it is impossible to fully explain the mechanisms of adaptation to temperatures of about +200 °C.
More highly developed living beings could not achieve the success of microorganisms, but zoologists know many invertebrates and even fish that have adapted to life in thermal waters.
Among invertebrates, it is necessary to name first of all the various cave dwellers that inhabit reservoirs fed by groundwater, which are heated by underground heat. In most cases, these are tiny unicellular algae and all kinds of crustaceans.
A representative of isopod crustaceans, thermosphere thermal belongs to the family of spheromatids. It lives in a hot spring in Soccoro (New Mexico, USA). The length of the crustacean is only 0.5-1 cm. It moves along the bottom of the source and has one pair of antennas designed for orientation in space.
Cave fish, adapted to life in thermal springs, can tolerate temperatures up to +40 °C. Among these creatures, the most notable are some carp-toothed ones that inhabit The groundwater North America. Among the species of this large group, Cyprinodon macularis stands out.
This is one of the rarest animals on Earth. A small population of these tiny fish lives in a hot spring that is only 50 cm deep. This source located inside Devil's Cave in Death Valley (California), one of the driest and hottest places on the planet.
A close relative of Cyprinodon, the blind eye is not adapted to life in thermal springs, although it inhabits the underground waters of karst caves in the same geographic area within the United States. The blind-eye and its related species are allocated to the family of blind-eyes, while cyprinodons are classified as a separate family of carp-toothed.
Unlike other translucent or milky-cream colored cave dwellers, including other carp-toothed ones, cyprinodons are painted bright blue. In former times, these fish were found in several sources and could freely move through groundwater from one reservoir to another.
In the 19th century, local residents more than once observed how cyprinodons settled in puddles that appeared as a result of filling the ruts of a cart wheel with underground water. By the way, to this day it remains unclear how and why these beautiful fish made their way along with underground moisture through a layer of loose soil.
However, this mystery is not the main one. It is not clear how fish can withstand water temperatures up to +50 °C. Be that as it may, it was a strange and inexplicable adaptation that helped the Cyprinodons survive. These creatures appeared in North America more than 1 million years ago. With the onset of glaciation, all carp-toothed animals became extinct, except for those who developed underground waters, including thermal ones.
Almost all species of the stenazellid family, represented by small (no more than 2 cm) isopod crustaceans, live in thermal waters with temperatures not lower than +20 C.
When the glacier left and the climate in California became more arid, the temperature, salinity and even the amount of food - algae - remained almost unchanged in the cave springs for 50 thousand years. Therefore, the fish, without changing, calmly survived prehistoric cataclysms here. Today, all species of cave cyprinodons are protected by law in the interests of science.
.(Source: “Biological Encyclopedic Dictionary.” Editor-in-chief M. S. Gilyarov; Editorial Board: A. A. Babaev, G. G. Vinberg, G. A. Zavarzin and others - 2nd ed., corrected - M.: Sov. Encyclopedia, 1986.)
See what "THERMOPHILIC ORGANISMS" are in other dictionaries:
- (thermo... gr. phileo love) thermophiles (mostly microscopic) organisms that can live at relatively high temperatures (up to 70); Their natural habitats are various hot springs and thermal waters cf. cryophilic... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language
- (from thermo (See Thermo...)... and Greek philéo love) thermophiles, organisms living at temperatures exceeding 45 ° C (destructive for most living beings). These are some fish, representatives of various invertebrates (worms,... ... Big Soviet encyclopedia
- ... Wikipedia
Organisms Scientific classification Classification: Organisms Superkingdoms Nuclear Non-nuclear Organism (Late Latin organismus from Late Latin organizo ... Wikipedia
Lower organisms, like all living beings in general, can live only under precisely defined external conditions their existence, i.e. the conditions of the environment in which they live, and for each external factor, for temperature, pressure, humidity, etc...
This is the name given to bacteria that have the ability to develop at temperatures above 55-60° C. Miquel was the first to find and isolate from the water of the Seine a non-motile bacillus capable of living and multiplying at temperatures of 70° C. Van Tieghem... encyclopedic Dictionary F. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron
Organisms Scientific classification Classification: Organisms Superkingdoms Nuclear Non-nuclear Organism (Late Latin organismus from Late Latin organizo ... Wikipedia - See also: Largest organisms Smallest organisms are all representatives of bacteria, animals, plants and other organisms found on Earth, which have minimal values in their classes (detachments) according to such parameters as ... Wikipedia
Bacteria are the oldest known group of organisms
Layered stone structures - stromatolites - dated in some cases to the beginning of the Archeozoic (Archean), i.e. arose 3.5 billion years ago, is the result of the vital activity of bacteria, usually photosynthesizing, the so-called. blue-green algae. Similar structures (bacterial films impregnated with carbonates) are still forming today, mainly off the coast of Australia, Bahamas, in the Californian and Persian Gulfs, however, they are relatively rare and do not reach large sizes, because herbivorous organisms feed on them, for example gastropods. The first nucleated cells evolved from bacteria approximately 1.4 billion years ago.
The archaeobacteria thermoacidophiles are considered to be the most ancient of existing living organisms. They live in hot spring water that is highly acidic. At temperatures below 55oC (131oF) they die!
90% of the biomass in the seas turns out to be microbes.
Life appeared on Earth
3.416 billion years ago, that is, 16 million years earlier than is commonly believed scientific world. Analyzes of one of the corals, whose age exceeds 3.416 billion years, have proven that at the time of the formation of this coral, life at the microbial level already existed on Earth.
Oldest microfossil
Kakabekia barghoorniana (1964-1986) was found at Harich, Goonedd, Wales, with an estimated age of over 4,000,000,000 years.
The most ancient form of life
Fossilized imprints of microscopic cells have been discovered in Greenland. It turned out that their age is 3800 million years, which makes them the most ancient life forms known to us.
Bacteria and eukaryotes
Life can exist in the form of bacteria - the simplest organisms that do not have a nucleus in the cell, the oldest (archaea), almost as simple as bacteria, but distinguished by an unusual membrane; eukaryotes are considered its top - in fact, all other organisms whose genetic code is stored in cell nucleus.
The oldest inhabitants of the Earth were found in the Mariana Trench
At the bottom of the world's deepest Mariana Trench in the center of the Pacific Ocean, 13 species of single-celled organisms unknown to science have been discovered, existing unchanged for almost a billion years. Microorganisms were found in soil samples taken in the Challenger Fault in the fall of 2002 by the Japanese automatic bathyscaphe "Kaiko" at a depth of 10,900 meters. In 10 cubic centimeters of soil, 449 previously unknown primitive unicellular round or elongated 0.5 - 0.7 mm in size were discovered. After several years of research, they were divided into 13 species. All these organisms almost completely correspond to the so-called. "unknown biological fossils" that were discovered in the 1980s in Russia, Sweden and Austria in soil layers dating back 540 million to a billion years.
Based on genetic analysis, Japanese researchers claim that single-celled organisms found at the bottom of the Mariana Trench have existed unchanged for more than 800 million, or even a billion, years. Apparently, these are the most ancient of all currently known inhabitants of the Earth. For the sake of survival, single-celled organisms from the Challenger fault were forced to go to extreme depths, since in the shallow layers of the ocean they could not compete with younger and more aggressive organisms.
The first bacteria appeared in the Archaeozoic era
The development of the Earth is divided into five periods of time called eras. The first two eras, Archeozoic and Proterozoic, lasted 4 billion years, that is, almost 80% of all earth history. During the Archeozoic, the formation of the Earth occurred, water and oxygen appeared. About 3.5 billion years ago, the first tiny bacteria and algae appeared. During the Proterozoic era, about 700 years ago, the first animals appeared in the sea. These were primitive invertebrate creatures, such as worms and jellyfish. Palaeozoic began 590 million years ago and lasted 342 million years. Then the Earth was covered with swamps. During the Paleozoic, large plants, fish and amphibians appeared. Mesozoic era began 248 million years ago and lasted 183 million years. At this time, the Earth was inhabited by huge dinosaur lizards. The first mammals and birds also appeared. Cenozoic era began 65 million years ago and continues to this day. At this time, the plants and animals that surround us today arose.
Where do bacteria live
Bacteria are abundant in soil, at the bottom of lakes and oceans—anywhere organic matter accumulates. They live in the cold, when the thermometer is just above zero, and in hot acidic springs with temperatures above 90 C. Some bacteria tolerate very high salinity; in particular, they are the only organisms found in the Dead Sea. In the atmosphere, they are present in water droplets, and their abundance there usually correlates with the dustiness of the air. Thus, in cities, rainwater contains much more bacteria than in rural areas. There are few of them in the cold air of high mountains and polar regions, however, they are found even in the lower layer of the stratosphere at an altitude of 8 km.
Bacteria are involved in digestion
The digestive tract of animals is densely populated with bacteria (usually harmless). They are not necessary for the life of most species, although they can synthesize some vitamins. However, in ruminants (cows, antelopes, sheep) and many termites, they are involved in the digestion of plant food. Additionally, the immune system of an animal raised under sterile conditions does not develop normally due to lack of bacterial stimulation. The normal bacterial “flora” of the intestines is also important for suppressing harmful microorganisms that enter there.
A quarter of a million bacteria fit in a spot
Bacteria are much smaller than the cells of multicellular plants and animals. Their thickness is usually 0.5–2.0 µm, and their length is 1.0–8.0 µm. Some forms are barely visible at the resolution of standard light microscopes (approximately 0.3 microns), but species are also known with a length of more than 10 microns and a width that also goes beyond the specified limits, and a number of very thin bacteria can exceed 50 microns in length. On the surface corresponding to the point marked with a pencil, a quarter of a million medium-sized bacteria will fit.
Bacteria offer lessons in self-organization
In bacterial colonies called stromatolites, the bacteria self-organize and form a huge working group, although none of them leads the others. This association is very stable and quickly recovers when damaged or changes in the environment. Also interesting is the fact that the bacteria in the stromatolite have different roles depending on where they are in the colony, and they all share genetic information. All these properties can be useful for future communication networks.
Abilities of bacteria
Many bacteria have chemical receptors that detect changes in the acidity of the environment and the concentration of sugars, amino acids, oxygen and carbon dioxide. Many motile bacteria also respond to temperature fluctuations, and photosynthetic species respond to changes in light intensity. Some bacteria perceive the direction of field lines magnetic field, including the Earth’s magnetic field, with the help of particles of magnetite (magnetic iron ore – Fe3O4) present in their cells. In water, bacteria use this ability to swim along lines of force in search of a favorable environment.
Memory of bacteria
Conditioned reflexes in bacteria are unknown, but they do have a certain kind of primitive memory. While swimming, they compare the perceived intensity of the stimulus with its previous value, i.e. determine whether it has become larger or smaller, and, based on this, maintain the direction of movement or change it.
Bacteria double in number every 20 minutes
Partly due to the small size of bacteria, their metabolic rate is very high. Under the most favorable conditions, some bacteria can double their total mass and number approximately every 20 minutes. This is explained by the fact that a number of their most important enzyme systems function at a very high speed. Thus, a rabbit needs a few minutes to synthesize a protein molecule, while bacteria take seconds. However, in a natural environment, for example in soil, most bacteria are “on a starvation diet”, so if their cells divide, it is not every 20 minutes, but once every few days.
Within 24 hours, 1 bacterium could produce 13 trillion others.
One E. coli bacterium (Esherichia coli) could produce offspring within 24 hours, the total volume of which would be enough to build a pyramid with an area of 2 sq. km and a height of 1 km. Under favorable conditions, in 48 hours one cholera vibrio (Vibrio cholerae) would produce offspring weighing 22 * 1024 tons, which is 4 thousand times more mass globe. Fortunately, only a small number of bacteria survive.
How many bacteria are there in the soil?
IN top layer soil contains from 100,000 to 1 billion bacteria per 1 g, i.e. approximately 2 tons per hectare. Typically, all organic residues, once in the ground, are quickly oxidized by bacteria and fungi.
Bacteria eat pesticides
Genetically modified ordinary E. coli is capable of eating organophosphorus compounds - toxic substances that are toxic not only to insects, but also to humans. The class of organophosphorus compounds includes some types of chemical weapons, for example, sarin gas, which has a nerve-paralytic effect.
A special enzyme, a type of hydrolase, originally found in some “wild” soil bacteria, helps the modified E. coli deal with organophosphates. After testing many genetically similar varieties of bacteria, the scientists chose a strain that kills the pesticide methyl parathion 25 times more efficiently than the original soil bacteria. To prevent the toxin eaters from “running away”, they were fixed on a cellulose matrix - it is unknown how the transgenic E. coli will behave once free.
Bacteria will happily eat plastic with sugar
Polyethylene, polystyrene and polypropylene, which make up a fifth of urban waste, have become attractive to soil bacteria. When polystyrene styrene units are mixed with a small amount of another substance, “hooks” are formed on which particles of sucrose or glucose can get caught. Sugars “hang” on styrene chains like pendants, making up only 3% of the total weight of the resulting polymer. But Pseudomonas and Bacillus bacteria notice the presence of sugars and, eating them, destroy the polymer chains. As a result, the plastics begin to decompose within a few days. The final products of processing are carbon dioxide and water, but on the way to them organic acids and aldehydes appear.
Succinic acid from bacteria
In the rumen - a section of the digestive tract of ruminants - was discovered the new kind bacteria producing succinic acid. Microbes live and reproduce well without oxygen, in an atmosphere of carbon dioxide. In addition to succinic acid, they produce acetic and formic acid. The main nutritional resource for them is glucose; from 20 grams of glucose, bacteria create almost 14 grams of succinic acid.
Deep Sea Bacteria Cream
Bacteria collected from a hydrothermal fissure two kilometers deep in the Pacific Bay of California will help create a lotion for effective protection skin from harmful sun rays. Among the microbes that live here at high temperatures and pressures is Thermus thermophilus. Their colonies thrive at temperatures of 75 degrees Celsius. Scientists are going to use the fermentation process of these bacteria. The result will be a “cocktail of proteins,” including enzymes that are especially eager to destroy highly active chemical compounds formed by exposure to ultraviolet rays and involved in reactions that destroy skin. According to the developers, the new components can destroy hydrogen peroxide three times faster at 40 degrees Celsius than at 25.
Humans are hybrids of Homo sapiens and bacteria
A person is a collection, in fact, of human cells, as well as bacterial, fungal and viral forms of life, the British say, and the human genome does not predominate in this conglomerate. In the human body there are several trillion cells and more than 100 trillion bacteria, five hundred species, by the way. In terms of the amount of DNA in our bodies, it is bacteria, not human cells, that lead. This biological cohabitation is beneficial to both parties.
Bacteria accumulate uranium
One strain of the Pseudomonas bacterium is able to effectively capture uranium and other heavy metals from the environment. Researchers isolated this type of bacteria from wastewater from a Tehran metallurgical plant. The success of cleaning work depends on temperature, acidity of the environment and the content of heavy metals. The best results were at 30 degrees Celsius in a slightly acidic environment with a uranium concentration of 0.2 grams per liter. Its granules accumulate in the walls of bacteria, reaching 174 mg per gram of dry weight of bacteria. In addition, the bacterium captures copper, lead and cadmium and other heavy metals from the environment. The discovery can serve as the basis for the development of new methods for treating wastewater from heavy metals.
Two species of bacteria unknown to science were found in Antarctica
The new microorganisms Sejongia jeonnii and Sejongia antarctica are gram-negative bacteria containing a yellow pigment.
So many bacteria on the skin!
The skin of mole rats has up to 516,000 bacteria per square inch; dry areas of the same animal's skin, such as the front paws, have only 13,000 bacteria per square inch.
Bacteria against ionizing radiation
The microorganism Deinococcus radiodurans is capable of withstanding 1.5 million rads. ionizing radiation exceeding lethal levels for other life forms by more than 1000 times. While the DNA of other organisms will be destroyed and destroyed, the genome of this microorganism will not be damaged. The secret of such stability lies in the specific shape of the genome, which resembles a circle. It is this fact that contributes to such resistance to radiation.
Microorganisms against termites
The termite control drug "Formosan" (USA) uses natural enemies termites - several types of bacteria and fungi that infect and kill them. After an insect is infected, fungi and bacteria settle in its body, forming colonies. When an insect dies, its remains become a source of spores that infect their fellow insects. Microorganisms were selected that reproduce relatively slowly - the infected insect should have time to return to the nest, where the infection will be transmitted to all members of the colony.
Microorganisms live at the pole
Colonies of microbes were found on stones in the area of the northern and south poles. These places are not very suitable for life - the combination of extremely low temperatures, strong winds and harsh ultraviolet radiation looks frightening. But 95 percent of the rocky plains studied by scientists are inhabited by microorganisms!
These microorganisms get enough of the light that gets under the stones through the cracks between them, reflecting from the surfaces of neighboring stones. Due to temperature changes (stones are heated by the sun and cooled when there is no sun), movements occur in the stone placers, some stones find themselves in complete darkness, while others, on the contrary, are exposed to light. After such movements, microorganisms “migrate” from darkened stones to illuminated ones.
Bacteria live in slag dumps
The most alkaline-loving organisms on the planet live in polluted water in the United States. Scientists have discovered microbial communities thriving in cinder dumps in the Calume Lake area in southwest Chicago, where the water's acidity (pH) level is 12.8. Living in such an environment is comparable to living in caustic soda or floor cleaning liquid. In such dumps, air and water react with slag, which produces calcium hydroxide (caustic soda), which increases the pH. The bacteria were discovered during a study of contaminated groundwater, accumulated over more than a century of industrial iron dumps coming from Indiana and Illinois.
Genetic analysis has shown that some of these bacteria are close relatives of Clostridium and Bacillus species. These species have previously been found in the acidic waters of Mono Lake in California, tuff pillars in Greenland and the cement-polluted waters of a deep gold mine in Africa. Some of these organisms use hydrogen released when metallic iron slags corrode. How exactly the unusual bacteria got into the slag dumps remains a mystery. It is possible that local bacteria have adapted to their extreme environment habitats over the last century.
Microbes determine water pollution
Modified E. coli bacteria are grown in a medium containing contaminants and their amounts are determined at different points in time. Bacteria have a built-in gene that allows cells to glow in the dark. By the brightness of the glow one can judge their number. Bacteria are frozen in polyvinyl alcohol, then they can withstand low temperatures without serious damage. They are then thawed, grown in suspension and used in research. In a polluted environment, cells grow worse and die more often. The number of dead cells depends on time and degree of contamination. These indicators differ for heavy metals and organic matter. For any substance, the rate of death and the dependence of the number of dead bacteria on the dose are different.
Viruses have
...a complex structure of organic molecules, what is even more important is the presence of its own viral genetic code and the ability to reproduce.
Origin of viruses
It is generally accepted that viruses originated as a result of the isolation (autonomization) of individual genetic elements of the cell, which, in addition, received the ability to be transmitted from organism to organism. The size of viruses varies from 20 to 300 nm (1 nm = 10–9 m). Almost all viruses are smaller in size than bacteria. However, the largest viruses, such as cowpox virus, are the same size as the smallest bacteria (chlamydia and rickettsia.
Viruses are a form of transition from just chemistry to life on Earth
There is a version that viruses arose a long time ago - thanks to intracellular complexes that gained freedom. Inside a normal cell, there is a movement of many different genetic structures (messenger RNA, etc., etc....), which can be the progenitors of viruses. But maybe everything was quite the opposite - and viruses - oldest form life, or rather the transitional stage from “just chemistry” to life on Earth.
Some scientists even associate the origin of eukaryotes themselves (and, therefore, of all single- and multicellular organisms, including you and me) with viruses. It is possible that we emerged as a result of the “collaboration” of viruses and bacteria. The former provided genetic material, and the latter provided ribosomes - protein intracellular factories.
Viruses are not capable
... to reproduce on their own - the internal mechanisms of the cell that the virus infects do this for them. The virus itself also cannot work with its genes - it is not able to synthesize proteins, although it has a protein shell. It simply steals ready-made proteins from cells. Some viruses even contain carbohydrates and fats - but again, stolen ones. Outside the victim cell, the virus is simply a gigantic accumulation of albeit very complex molecules, but without metabolism or any other active actions.
Surprisingly, the simplest creatures on the planet (we will still call viruses creatures) are one of the biggest mysteries of science.
The largest virus Mimi, or Mimivirus
...(causing an outbreak of influenza) is 3 times more than other viruses, and 40 times more than others. It carries 1260 genes (1.2 million “letter” bases, which is more than other bacteria), while known viruses have only three to a hundred genes. Moreover, the genetic code of the virus consists of DNA and RNA, while all known viruses use only one of these “tablets of life,” but never both together. 50 Mimi genes are responsible for things that have never been seen in viruses before. In particular, Mimi is capable of independently synthesizing 150 types of proteins and even repairing its own damaged DNA, which is generally nonsense for viruses.
Changes in the genetic code of viruses can make them deadly
American scientists experimented with the modern influenza virus - an unpleasant and severe, but not very lethal disease - by crossing it with the virus of the infamous "Spanish flu" of 1918. The modified virus killed mice outright with symptoms characteristic of the Spanish flu (acute pneumonia and internal bleeding). However, its differences from the modern virus at the genetic level turned out to be minimal.
The Spanish flu epidemic in 1918 killed more people than during the most terrible medieval epidemics of plague and cholera, and even more than front-line losses in the First world war. Scientists suggest that the Spanish flu virus could have arisen from the so-called “bird flu” virus, combining with a regular virus, for example, in the body of pigs. If bird flu successfully crosses with human flu and is able to pass from person to person, then we get a disease that can cause a global pandemic and kill several million people.
The most powerful poison
...now considered a bacillus D toxin. 20 mg is enough to poison the entire population of the Earth.
Viruses can swim
Eight types of phage viruses live in the Ladoga waters, differing in shape, size and length of legs. Their number is significantly higher than that typical for fresh water: from two to twelve billion particles per liter of sample. In some samples there were only three types of phages; their highest content and diversity were in the central part of the reservoir, all eight types. Usually the opposite is true: there are more microorganisms in the coastal areas of lakes.
Silence of viruses
Many viruses, such as herpes, have two phases in their development. The first occurs immediately after infection of a new host and does not last long. Then the virus “falls silent” and quietly accumulates in the body. The second can begin in a few days, weeks or years, when the virus, “silent” for the time being, begins to multiply like an avalanche and causes disease. The presence of a “latent” phase protects the virus from dying out when the host population quickly becomes immune to it. The more unpredictable the external environment from the point of view of the virus, the more important it is for it to have a period of “silence”.
Viruses play important role
Viruses play an important role in the life of any body of water. Their number reaches several billion particles per liter sea water in polar, temperate and tropical latitudes. In freshwater lakes, the virus content is usually lower by a factor of 100. Why there are so many viruses in Ladoga and they are so unusually distributed remains to be seen. But researchers have no doubt that microorganisms have a significant impact on ecological state natural water.
An ordinary amoeba has a positive reaction to a source of mechanical vibrations
Amoeba proteus is a freshwater amoeba about 0.25 mm long, one of the most common species of the group. It is often used in school experiments and laboratory research. The common amoeba is found in the sludge at the bottom of ponds with polluted water. It looks like a small, colorless gelatinous lump, barely visible to the naked eye.
In the common amoeba (Amoeba proteus), so-called vibrotaxis was discovered in the form of a positive reaction to a source of mechanical vibrations with a frequency of 50 Hz. This becomes understandable if we consider that in some species of ciliates that serve as amoeba food, the frequency of the beating of the cilia fluctuates just between 40 and 60 Hz. Amoeba also exhibits negative phototaxis. This phenomenon is that the animal tries to move from the illuminated area to the shadow. Thermotaxis of the amoeba is also negative: it moves from a warmer to a less heated part of the body of water. It is interesting to observe the galvanotaxis of amoeba. If a weak electric current is passed through water, the amoeba releases pseudopods only on the side facing the negative pole - the cathode.
The largest amoeba
One of the largest amoebas is the freshwater species Pelomyxa (Chaos) carolinensis, 2–5 mm long.
Amoeba moves
The cytoplasm of a cell is in constant motion. If the current of cytoplasm rushes to one point on the surface of the amoeba, a protrusion appears in this place on its body. It enlarges, becomes an outgrowth of the body - a pseudopod, cytoplasm flows into it, and the amoeba moves in this way.
Midwife for amoeba
An amoeba is a very simple organism, consisting of a single cell that reproduces by simple division. First, the amoeba cell doubles its genetic material, creating a second nucleus, and then changes shape, forming a constriction in the middle, which gradually divides it into two daughter cells. There remains a thin ligament between them, which they pull in different directions. Eventually the ligament breaks and the daughter cells begin independent life.
But in some species of amoeba, the reproduction process is not at all so simple. Their daughter cells cannot independently break the ligament and sometimes merge again into one cell with two nuclei. Dividing amoebas cry out for help by secreting a special Chemical substance, to which the “amoeba midwife” reacts. Scientists believe that, most likely, this is a complex of substances, including fragments of proteins, lipids and sugars. Apparently, when an amoeba cell divides, its membrane experiences tension, which causes the release of a chemical signal in external environment. Then the dividing amoeba is helped by another, which comes in response to a special chemical signal. It inserts itself between dividing cells and puts pressure on the ligament until it ruptures.
Living fossils
The most ancient of them are radiolarians, single-celled organisms covered with a shell-like growth mixed with silica, the remains of which were discovered in Precambrian deposits, whose age ranges from one to two billion years.
The most enduring
The tardigrade, an animal measuring less than half a millimeter in length, is considered the hardiest life form on Earth. This animal can withstand temperatures ranging from 270 degrees Celsius to 151 degrees Celsius, exposure to X-rays, vacuum conditions and pressure six times that of the deepest ocean floor. Tardigrades can live in gutters and cracks in masonry. Some of these little creatures came to life after a hundred years of hibernation in the dry moss of museum collections.
Acantharia, the simplest organisms belonging to radiolarians, reach a length of 0.3 mm. Their skeleton consists of strontium sulfate.
The total mass of phytoplankton is only 1.5 billion tons, while the mass of zoopalnkton is 20 billion tons.
The speed of movement of the ciliate-slipper (Paramecium caudatum) is 2 mm per second. This means that the shoe swims in a second a distance 10-15 times greater than the length of its body. There are 12 thousand cilia on the surface of the ciliate slipper.
Green Euglena (Euglena viridis) can serve good indicator degree of biological water purification. With a decrease in bacterial contamination, its number increases sharply.
What were the earliest forms of life on Earth?
Creatures that are neither plants nor animals are called rangeomorphs. They first settled on the ocean floor about 575 million years ago, after the last global glaciation (this time is called the Ediacaran period), and were among the first soft-bodied creatures. This group existed until 542 million years ago, when rapidly proliferating modern animals displaced most of these species.
Organisms assembled into fractal patterns of branching parts. They were unable to move and did not have reproductive organs, but multiplied, apparently creating new branches. Each branching element consisted of many tubes held together by a semi-rigid organic skeleton. Scientists have discovered rangeomorphs collected in several different forms, which he believes collected food in different layers of the water column. The fractal pattern seems quite complex, but, according to the researcher, the similarity of the organisms to each other made a simple genome sufficient to create new free-floating branches and to connect the branches into more complex structures.
The fractal organism, found in Newfoundland, was 1.5 centimeters wide and 2.5 centimeters long.
Such organisms accounted for up to 80% of all living in the Ediacara when there were no mobile animals. However, with the advent of more mobile organisms, their decline began, and as a result they were completely replaced.
Immortal life exists deep beneath the ocean floor
Under the surface of the bottom of the seas and oceans there is an entire biosphere. It turns out that at depths of 400-800 meters below the bottom, in the thickness of ancient sediments and rocks, myriads of bacteria live. Some specific specimens are estimated to be 16 million years old. They are practically immortal, scientists say.
Researchers believe that it was in such conditions, in the depths of bottom rocks, that life arose more than 3.8 billion years ago and only later, when the environment on the surface became suitable for habitation, did it master the ocean and land. Scientists have long found traces of life (fossils) in bottom rocks taken from very great depths under the surface of the bottom. They collected a lot of samples in which they found living microorganisms. Including in rocks raised from depths of more than 800 meters below the ocean floor. Some sediment samples were many millions of years old, which meant that, for example, a bacterium trapped in such a sample was the same age. About a third of the bacteria that scientists have discovered in deep bottom rocks are alive. In the absence sunlight The source of energy for these creatures is various geochemical processes.
The bacterial biosphere located under the seabed is very large and outnumbers all bacteria living on land. Therefore, it has a noticeable effect on geological processes, the balance of carbon dioxide, and so on. Perhaps, the researchers suggest, without such underground bacteria we would not have oil and gas.
