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A review of positive and negative impacts of microbes on the environment
Member rating: No Rating | Words: 2000 | Submitted: Sat Feb 02 2008
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A REVIEW OF POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF MICROBES IN THE ENVIRONMENT 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1. Microbes in the environment 'Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, a large and diverse group of microscopic organisms that exist as single cells or cell clusters; it also includes viruses which are microscopic but not cellular', (Madigan, Martinko and Parker, 2003: 1). It consists of prokaryotic organisms such as bacteria and archaebacteria; and eukaryotic organisms such as fungi, protozoa and algae. Microbiologists have evidence that microbes are the oldest life forms on earth. 'Isotopic ratios and microfossils indicate that chemical evolution led to primitive forms of prokaryotic life less than 1 billion years after the formation of Planet Earth, which is 4.5 billion years old', (Atlas and Bartha, 1998: 27). Figure 1.1 shows the evolutionary events of microorganisms over the last 4 billion years. Figure 1.1: Evolutionary events of Microorganisms (Source: Atlas and Bartha, 1997: 28) The human...
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