Different types of microbes, like fungi, viruses, protozoa and bacteria, live together in many locations in the environment. Their compositions change with different factors, like the surrounding temperature, sunlight, oxygen content, available foods and nutrients, types of salts, drugs or other molecules. The presence of other microbes and bacteria can also influence their growth, either promoting or inhibiting specific bacteria.
Like this, the microbial communities of specific environments and locations can look very distinct from each other. For example, some communities in certain body locations can have protective functions, making sure no harmful pathogens enter your body. On the contrary, other microbial communities can support the metabolism of your body by producing specific products.
Hence, the composition of a microbial community is typically well adapted to its environment and may serve a particular function.
Microbial communities on cocoa beans by Noémie Matthey.
The bacteria and fungi living on cocoa beans degrade the sugars in the fruit. With this fermentation, the so-called cocobiota produces metabolites that give chocolate its delicious taste. Read about the microbes that are part of the cocobiota and why chocolate tastes the way it does.
Your gut microbiome is full of helpful and fascinating bacteria. They all work together to keep you healthy, digest your food and fight off intruders. Here, you will learn about what a healthy gut microbiome is, what it does and how to keep it.
To protect themselves from the environment, bacteria build shielding biofilms houses. But once such a house gets old, bacteria need to break out it. For that, bacteria produce special scissors that can break biofilms and set free the bacteria.
Cable bacteria are long chains of bacteria that transport electrons within this chain. In this fascinating bacterial cable, these bacteria then conduct electricity.
Bacteria in your mouth protect your teeth from pathogenic bacteria. When you eat lots of sugars, the pathogens can fight off your friendly bacteria. The more pathogenic bacteria grow on your teeth, the more acids they produce that can cause caries and cavities. Learn about the bacterial battles in your mouths.
When bacteria are under attack, they are telling their siblings about the incoming danger. This allows them to produce weapons – like the molecule bacteriocin – to prepare themselves for a counterattack. With this altruistic behaviour, bacteria assemble and fight back as a team.
Bacteria can be major problems for human health. One of the reasons for that is because they have the ability to hide in their own houses. Such a house is called a bacterial biofilm which protect bacteria from harsh environments, toxic chemicals and to form a community within the biofilm.
Bacteria developed different antimicrobial resistance mechanisms to get rid of antibiotics. Here, you will learn what bacteria do with antibiotics so that they don’t harm them and what superbugs are.
When bacteria are hungry, they sometimes also need the help of their friends. In that case, bacteria can build little tubes between them to exchange nutrients. With this bacterial nanotube, they can exchange nutrients and thus feed each other to make sure everyone survives.
Different types of microbes, like fungi, viruses, protozoa and bacteria, live together in many locations in the environment. Their compositions change with different factors, like the surrounding temperature, sunlight, oxygen content, available foods and nutrients, types of salts, drugs or other molecules. The presence of other microbes and bacteria can also influence their growth, either promoting or inhibiting specific bacteria.
Like this, the microbial communities of specific environments and locations can look very distinct from each other. For example, some communities in certain body locations can have protective functions, making sure no harmful pathogens enter your body. On the contrary, other microbial communities can support the metabolism of your body by producing specific products.
Hence, the composition of a microbial community is typically well adapted to its environment and may serve a particular function.
Microbial communities on cocoa beans by Noémie Matthey.
