Who’s Who in the Microbe World?

Remember the Six Key Concepts of Marine Microbes

Microbes are everywhere, they are extremely abundant and diverse

Most marine microbes are beneficial.

Life on earth could not exist without microbes.

Microbes significantly impact our global climate.

New discoveries everyday in the field of microbial oceanography

Marine microbes are very small and have been around for a long time.

http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/JGI-microbe-clues.html

1

http://www.sciencefriday.com/program/archives/200806132

cyanobacteria

photosynthetic

Estimated that in one out of five breaths the oxygen is coming from

this

Abundantnumber in trillion

trillions

Discovered about 20 years ago

It’s 20th year discovery was celebrated with a two day event!

Click HERE to HEAR ABOUT THE DISOVERY…..

Runs about 5 minutes http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=91448837&m=91461513

Sallie (Penny) ChisholmProfessor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Biology; Lee and Geraldine Martin Professor of Environmental StudiesDirector, MIT Earth System Initiative

http://mitworld.mit.edu/video/421/

http://www.scq.ubc.ca/flow-cytometry-a-technology-to-count-and-sort-cells/

You’ve just metProchlorococcus

2

http://www.nature.com/nrmicro/journal/v5/n10/images/nrmicro1752-f4.jpg

Has about 1,300 genes (as compared to our 30,000)

Genome contains no viral DNA and no junk DNA

Archae

Feeds off dead organic matter in ocean (heterotrophic)

Estimated to be 25% of life in the ocean (by number of organisms)

Environmental Sample Processor (ESP) data

Key words:ESP and microbes

You’ve just met Peligabacter

3

http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~frf/pyro.gif

Algaedinoflagellate

Chemical reaction between luciferan and luciferase

http://www.elyunque.com/adven/biolady.jpg

You’ve just met Pyrodinium bahamense

4

photosynthetic

Symbiotic relationship with coral

Coral bleaching

Key words: symbiotic with coral

You’ve just metzooanthellae

5

Fish and zooplankton can graze on it

Too small to see with a school microscope

Sediments responsible for the white cliffs of Dover

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/119/290719612_5a27cbaf61.jpg

Sometimes visible from space in as an algal bloom

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/Coccoliths/bering_sea.htmlKey words: ocean color blooms

You’ve just met Coccolithophore

6

cyanobacteria

Fixes atmospheric nitrogen

Sometimes called sea sawdust

Brown algal bloomcan look like foamy pollution

.

Keyword: sea sawdust

You’ve just met Trichodesmium

7

diatom

Some species produce toxin domoic acid

California blooms responsible for sea lion deaths in 1999 and

recurrent shell-fish contamination.

Can cause Amnesic Shellfish poisoning in humans

ESP data for related species

Key words: esp and mbaricheck out the 2007 harmful algal data

You’ve just met Pseudonitzschia australis

8

Eukaryotedinoflagellate

Can cause Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB)

It fluoreses green if enzyme alkaline phosphatase is present

Its chloroplasts fluorese red.

ESP DATA

GO to http://www.mbari.org/ESP/field_data/2007/HAB_2007.htm

You’ve just met Alexandrium tamarense

ASSESSMENT

classification(flips to

information)

Each group of students will choose a different microbe, research and construct a poster flip-board with the following information:picture or drawing of organismclassification (algae {diatom, dinoflagellate, etc}, bacteria)role in environmenthow are they identified in environmentmiscellaneous information

More “flips” may be included

PICTURE OF ORGANISM

(flips to key word)

Role in environment

(flips to information)

How are they identified (ESP, remote sensing, other method)

(flips to information)

Miscellaneous information

(flips to information)

The answer should be taped on a piece of 8.5X 11 inch paper to the back of the poster (for display later)

Having trouble picking a microbe?Help clean up industrial and environmental problems (oil spills, heavy metals)Microbes are used in PCRAre found in extreme environments (hydrothermal vents)Can be bioluminescentAre found in our digestive tracts (and the tracts of animals too)Are important in the production of bread, cheese, yogurt, beer and wine)Are found deep in the ocean around whale fallsCause diseaseCause harmful and not so harmful algal bloomsNASA is searching for microbes on other planets

The following two slides have information that may need to be

printed out for those classes without internet access

ESP bacteria data that would need to be

provided if students didn’t have access to

internet

ESP algae data that would need to be

provided if students didn’t have access to

internet

control

Alexandrium tamarense/catenella

Pseudo-nitzschia multiseries

P. multiseries/pseudodelicatissima

P. australis

Heterosigma akashiwo