Chapter 10 Section 2

Objectives
 Explain how life on Earth depends on bacteria

 List 3 ways bacteria are useful to people

 Describe 2 ways in which bacteria can be harmful to

people
Quick Question…

 Are harmful bacteria more of a

problem to people now than they were
200 years ago??
Good vs. Bad Bacteria
 99% of bacteria (1000’s of types) are helpful to people
and the environment

 Only a few hundred cause disease

Good for the Environment
 Life could not exist without bacteria!

 They are very important to the health of the Earth

 Nitrogen fixation
 Recycling
 Cleaning up
Nitrogen Fixation
 Bacteria’s role in the nitrogen cycle

 Nitrogen fixation: the process by which nitrogen gas in

the air is transformed into a form that plants can use
 Living things depend on plants
 Plants need nitrogen to grow
 Nitrogen gas makes up 78% of the air
 Bacteria make a form of nitrogen that plants can easily
use
 Nitrogen Cycle

http://newforestsproject.cajerahost.net/nfp/en/newforestsproject/html/images/treeedu/nitrocyc.gif
Nitrogen Cycle Animation…

 http://www.scitrip.com/nitrogen_cycle_animation.shtml
Recycling
 Some bacteria are decomposers

 They have the ability to break down plant and animal

matter

 This makes nutrients available for other organisms

Cleaning Up
 Bacteria help to fight pollution

 Bioremediation: using microorganisms to change

harmful chemicals into helpful ones

 Clean up hazardous wastes from industries, farms, and

cities, oil spills
 Cleaning Up

http://biologybiozine.com/images/beachCleanup.jpg

http://www.umanitoba.ca/faculties/afs/soil_science/MSSS/Ecology/Cartoons/Cartoons%20Images/Alken-Murray%20Clear%20Flow%20Bacteria%20With%20a%20Snack.jpg
Good for People
 Bacteria help to produce many of the foods we eat

 Ex: cheese, yogurt, buttermilk, sour cream

 Bacteria change the sugar in milk (lactose) into lactic

acid

 Lactic acid preserves the food and adds flavor

Bacteria in your food…
 Making Medicines
 What is the best way to fight disease-causing bacteria?

 Use BACTERIA!

 Many antibiotics are made from bacteria

 Ex: Streptomyces

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Streptomyces_sp_01.png
Insulin
 Insulin: your body needs it to break down sugar and
carbohydrates

 Diabetics cannot make enough insulin

 Scientists learned how to put genes in bacteria so that

the bacteria would form insulin

 The insulin can be removed from the bacteria and

given to diabetics
Genetic Engineering
 Genetic engineering: when scientists change the genes
of bacteria

 Engineering bacteria since 1973!

 Scientists put the genes from a frog into E. coli

 The bacterium started making copies of the frog

genes!
Genetic Engineering
 We now engineer bacteria to make insecticides,
cleansers, and adhesives
Harmful Bacteria
 Some bacteria are pathogenic (cause disease)

 They harm their host’s cells

 Today we are protected by many bacteria by

vaccinations and antibiotics
 Diseases in other organisms
 Bacteria can harm plants, animals, protists, and fungi!
(even other bacteria)

 Some plants are genetically engineered to be resistant

to bacteria

http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/IPM/images/brassica/diseases/bacterial-soft-rot_confused_w_white-rot.jpg
Quick Quiz:
 How is bioremediation helpful?

 Explain why bacteria are important in helping plants

obtain nitrogen