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Plastic eating bacteria and environmental impact.

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Plastic eating bacteria and environmental impact.

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Plastic-eating bacteria are defined as bacteria that can break down and digest plastics. Plastic-eating bacteria could help to one day tackle some 14 million tons of plastic that is offloaded into our oceans every year. Plastic pollution leads to severe impact on marine ecosystems and can affect human health. For example, once plastic enters the ocean it can suffocate and entangle animals, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Example:

Ideonella sakaiensis is the first known plastic-eating bacteria. They are aerobic, rod-shaped motile cells, with single flagella that can specifically digest the plastic used to make single-use drink bottles, polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

It is a beneficial prokaryote because it is a way in which we can reduce pollution on the planet caused by plastics, which not only affect their chemicals, but also harm life.

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Some bacterial pathogens seem to emerge suddenly. Lyme disease, for example, was unknown until 1975 but is now
diagnosed in about 30,000 people per year in the United States. This disease, named after the town of Old Lyme, Connecticut, where it was first described, is caused by the corkscrew-shaped bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. The bacterium is carried by deer ticks, which transmit it to the humans they bite. At first, the symptoms are chills, fever, and body aches resemble those of flu. If untreated, weeks or months later the victim may experience rashes, bouts of arthritis, and in some cases abnormalities of the heart and nervous system.

This type of disease is very harmful

Joint pain and swelling (Lyme arthritis). Approximately 60% of people not treated with antibiotics will develop recurring attacks of arthritis.

Nerve damage. This results in numbness in hands or feet, shooting pains, and tingling.

Neurological problems. These can include confusion, memory loss, sudden loss of hearing, or speech problems

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"Lactobacillus bacteria" predominate in food fermentation

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Important Effects of Prokaryotes on Human Nutrition - Harshika Tewaney and Tiffany He 11-A

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Important Effects of Prokaryotes on Human Nutrition - Harshika Tewaney and Tiffany He 11-A

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Prokaryotes have important effects on human nutrition. Foods such as cheese, yogurt and sauerkraut, are produced with bacteria. Prokaryotic cells inhabit the intestines since in there, they feed on undigested food and they synthesize nutrients like vitamin K and vitamin B12, which is absorbed by the human body. In fact, our life would not be possible without prokaryotes! Without bacteria around to break down biological waste and it would build up.

Example: Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, and Leuconostoc are predominant in fermented foods, but other bacteria as well as Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast) and fungi also contribute to food fermentations.

It is a beneficial prokaryote because they are used in the production of some human foods, produced by the action of bacterias. They also help in the  production of some of our vitamins and other nutrients in the digestive tracts of humans as well as animals.

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Some prokaryotes are pathogenic: syphilis                                        Melanie Davila and Calvin Kuo 

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Some prokaryotes are pathogenic: syphilis                                        Melanie Davila and Calvin Kuo 

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To understand more about pathogenic syphilis, we must first understand what prokaryotes are. These are microscopic single-celled organisms that have neither a distinct nucleus with a membrane nor other specialized organelles, or in other words bacteria. Pathogenic bacterias are a type of harmful bacteria that synthesize toxic substances that cause disease symptoms. Syphilis (NIAID. Treponema pallidum), in the other hand, is sexually transmitted infectious (STI) disease caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. This bacterium causes infection when it gets into broken skin or mucous membranes, usually of the genitals. Syphilis is most often transmitted through sexual contact, although it also can be transmitted in other ways reaching a harmful process.

There are four stages of syphilis: primary, secondary, latent, and tertiary. Chancre, or more known as the first stage, may be at sight of inoculation in the genitals. The second stage of Syphilis is a “Rash” and it may be accompanied by hepatitis, meningitis or glomerulonephritis. Next up is “Latent syphilis”, it is treponema pallidum present in the latent state, latent period may last up to 3 to 30 years. Lastly, we have “Tertiary syphilis” which shows that these lesions may also occur in deep organs along with CNS degeneration and ascending aortic aneurysm.

There is also a similar bacteria like syphilis, that is called “Yaws”; is an infection caused by a form of the Treponema pallidum bacteria. It is closely related to the bacterium that causes syphilis, but this form of the bacterium is not sexually transmitted.

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Its an image that shows the process of bioremediation.

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Some prokaryotes can clean up pollution. Krish Patel and Leonidas Zarate

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Some prokaryotes can clean up pollution. Krish Patel and Leonidas Zarate

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Many pollutants that are produced by human activity are organic compound. These pollutants are perfect food for the bacterias and archaea. Anything that a human can synthesize including detergent, many toxic pesticides, dangerous industrial chemicals like benzene and toluene can be broken down by some prokaryotes. These prokaryotes can also break down oil. Soon after a tanker with 11 million gallons of crude oil was spilled in the ocean. The oil gather up on the beach and some researchers sprayed oil soaked-beches with fertilizers that encouraged the growth of oil-eating bacteria. Another tanker was spilled in Golf of Mexico with 200 million gallons underwater deep in the ocean where its cold and the metabolism of the prokaryote slow down, so its not practical to fertilize the area with oil spill. This process of growing and using prokaryote to clean up is called bioremediation. This process can help increasing the ability of cleaning up toxic waste and chemicals. Researchers have found species especially beneficial for bioremediation.

An example of a bacteria that is used for bioremediation is:

Pseudomonas putida. It is one of the bacteria that is mostly used for bioremediation. It is gram-negative, rod shaped bacteria. It is mostly found in soil and water, particularly in the rhizosphere at a relatively high population density.

Are they harmful or beneficial prokaryotes?

These are very beneficial prokaryotes in taking account that the pollution with new factories and manufacturing of overproduce product the rate of pollution has grown 5.5% every year. This prokaryotes can really be beneficial for our own future, They can clean up oceans, beaches, and many other bodies that are affected by the pollution done by humans ourselves.

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Prokaryotes Play Important Roles in Animal Nutrition

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Prokaryotes Play Important Roles in Animal Nutrition

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Many eukaryotic organisms depend on prokaryotes. For instance, animals that eat leaves like rabbits and koalas can’t digest cellulose alone. Instead, these animals depend on specific bacteria that have the ability to break down cellulose. These bacteria live in the animals’ digestive tracts, where they free nutrients from plant tissue. Without some bacteria, animals that eat plants could not survive.

Example:

Prokaryotes that live in animal digestive systems are known as "Gut Flora". The gut flora contributes to the proper functioning of an animal organism by retrieving nutrients from foods that can’t be digested such as short chain fatty acids and synthesizing B and K vitamins. Not only that, but they also produce other substances that are useful in regulating metabolism.

Is it harmful?
No, it is a beneficial prokaryote for the human body as well since it nourishes the intestinal lining, preventing harmful bacteria and fungi from entering and killing them. It also contributes to the digestion of the food and increases immunity.

-Mahi Sippy and Cristina Huang

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Some prokaryotes Are Nature’s Recyclers - Nidal Waked, Aury Rivera.

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Some prokaryotes Are Nature’s Recyclers - Nidal Waked, Aury Rivera.

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Many prokaryotes obtain energy by breaking down complex organic molecules (molecules that contain carbon and hydrogen). By consuming and thereby decomposing these wastes, prokaryotes prevent wastes from accumulating in the environment. In addition, decomposition by prokaryotes releases the nutrients contained in wastes. Once released, the nutrients become available for reuse by other living organisms.

Prokaryotes perform their recycling service wherever organic matter is found. They are important decomposers in lakes and rivers, in the oceans, and in the soil and ground- water of forests, grasslands, deserts, and other terrestrial environments. The recycling of nutrients by prokaryotes and other decomposers provides the raw materials needed for continued life on Earth.

Bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Pseudomonas bacteria are a genus of spoilage bacteria. Like some of the other example decomposers, this bacterium is found in different areas of nature and its role is relevant because they are capable of degrading organic compounds. Pseudomonads being one of the most diverse bacterial genera throughout the planet play a key role in soil. Their distribution in soil plays a key role in plant growth promotion and pathogenicity control. Therefore, it is worthwhile to study the Pseudomonas diversity in lesser explored area of natural niches.

However, Pseudomonas can infect any part of your body, such as your blood, lungs, stomach, urinary tract, or tendons. Pressure sores, wounds, and burns can also become infected.

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Prokaryotes capture the Nitrogen needed by Plants

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Prokaryotes capture the Nitrogen needed by Plants

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Summary:
Humans are dependent on plants and plants are dependent on bacteria. Plants need to grow, that's why they depend on nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Those nitrogen-fixing bacteria capture nitrogen gas and combine it with hydrogen to make ammonium.

Example of a Bacteria:
-Azotobacter

Is it Helpful?
-Yes. They are able to convert atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia, which in turn is taken up and utilized by the plants. Such bacteria are immensely resistant to oxygen during nitrogen fixation due to respiration protection of nitrogenase

-Angeline Coulson, Angelica Feng