1. Environmental Microbiology

2. Key points: Microbes give us access to nutrients Nitrogen fixation
Microbes rarely live alone
Biofilms
Some microbes can do some far out chemistry
Mining bacteria

3. Nature of ecosystems
Energy flow 3 3

4. Rule of 10 4

5. Microbes Recycle Key Elements5

6. Biogeochemical Cycles — Water6 6

7. Biogeochemical Cycles — Carbon7 7

8. Biogeochemical Cycles — Nitrogen8 8

9. Nitrogen Fixing Bacteria
Nitrifying Bacteria(Nitrosomonas, Nitrosococcus, Nitrobacter, Nitrococcus)
NH4+ --> NO3-
Denitrifying Bacteria include Thiobacillus denitrificans, Micrococcus denitrificans Paraoccus denitrificans and Pseudomonas
NO3 --> N2 9 9

10. Nitrogen fixation Nodules N2 + 6 H+ 6 e- --> 2 NH3
Reaction is oxygen sensitive
Cyanobacteria
Azotobacteraceae
Rhizobia (Rhizobium meliloti)
Bradyrhizobia
Frankia

11. Sulfur Cycles Sulfate Reduction SO4-2 --> SO3-2-->S
Desulfobacterales
Desulfovibrionales
Syntrophobacterales
Sulfate Reduction
SO4-2 --> SO3-2-->S
Sulfur Reduction
S -->H2S
Sulfur Oxidation
S -> SO4-2
Desulfuromonas, Proteus
Beggiatoa,
Paracoccus 11 11

12. Sulfur Cycles 12 12

13. Phosphorous cycle 13 13

14. Air as an Environment Determining Microbial Counts
Controlling Microbial counts 14 14

15. Soil as an Environment
Components
Microbes 15 15

16. Microbes Are Everywhere!
In the soil 16

17. Soil
Influential Factors
Soil Pathogens 17 17

18. Water as an Environment
Freshwater 18 18

19. Microbes Live Together
In biofilms in pipes 19

20. Biofilms Your shower …………. Dental plaque ………….
almost any moist surface …………...
There are five stages of
biofilm development .
initial attachment
irreversible attachment
maturation I
maturation II
dispersion

21. More biofilms
Catheter Staph aureus biofilm

22. Water Environments
Marine 22 22

23. Deep Ocean Vents 23 23

24. Water Purification
Procedures 24 24

25. Coliform Tests
Membrane Test
MUG Test 25 25

26. We Use Existing Microbes
To treat sewage 26

27. Sewage Treatment 27 27

28. Sewage Treatment Plant28

29. Other Microbial Treatments
Septic Tanks 29 29

30. 30

31. We Use Existing Microbes
To clean up oil spills 31

32. We Use Existing Microbes
To leach ores 32

33. Thiobacillus ferrooxidans
A tiny rod-shaped bacterium known as Thiobacillus ferrooxidans gets energy by oxidizing some inorganic materials such as sulfide-containing minerals. As the bacteria metabolize, they release acid and an oxidizing solution of ferric ions, which can wash metals right out of ore. The copper and gold industry quickly and enthusiastically put this discovery to work.

34. We Modify Microbes To protect plants from pests Bacillus thuringensis
Delta endotoxin protein 34

35. We Modify Microbes To clean up toxic waste = bioremediation
TNT, plastics
PCBs 35

36. Bioremediation 36 36