BACTERIA
Bacteria
together with Blue-green Algae are sometimes called Monera.
What
are Bacteria?
Bacteria
are microbes.
These
are minute living things.
Microbes
are so tiny they can only be seen through a microscope
Where
are microbes found?
Microbes
are found everywhere.
Microbes
are found in the earth, water, air, plants and animals.
Microbes
are not green because they have no chlorophyll, so they do not
depend on sunlight to make their food.
Microbes
are plentiful where there is the right food, moisture and temperature
to enable them to grow.
How
do microbes spread?
Because
they are so tiny, microbes spread easily from one place to another.
They
can be carried on air currents, in water and on and in the bodies
of other living creatures.
Scientists
are worried that bacteria could be carried to and from the plants
by space travel.
When
conditions are not suitable for them to feed and grow, many bacteria
form spores.
These
spores are resting stages when normal life almost comes to a stop.
They can survive conditions that would kill most other living
things. They are very light and can be blown about in air currents.
This
is how bacteria have spread to all parts of the world's surface.
How
many kinds of bacteria are there?
There
are hundreds of different kinds of bacteria.
Some
bacteria are beneficial.
When
plants and animals die bacteria help the process of decay. The
decayed plants and animals then pass back into the soil to give
nutrients to new plants and animals.
Bacteria
do many important jobs.
They
help to make cheese and yoghurt and many
other foodstuffs.
Yeast
is a microbe and is used in making bread.
If
bread has no yeast it will not rise.
Some
bacteria can cause tooth decay.
Some
bacteria can make you ill.
How
do bacteria reproduce?
Bacteria
love warmth and moisture and rapidly reproduce themselves in these
conditions.
They
reproduce by splitting in two.
What
kills bacteria?
Bacteria
are killed instantly by strong heat, sunlight and some poisons.
Viruses
are also microbes.
You
will often hear people call microbes - GERMS.
