Microrganisms

Viruses
Viruses were first discovered by Iwanowsky. Viruses are the linking (transitional)
group between non living things and living organisms. The study of viruses is called
Virology.
1. Size of the virus is 0.01 microns to 0.03 microns (1 micron=1/1000millimeter).
2. They have a genetic material (DNA or RNA) with, outer protein coat (capsid)
and spikes. They can be seen only with the help of an electron microscope.
3. They can be rod shaped, spherical or of other shapes.
4. Viruses cannot prepare their own food. They always live inside the living cells
of plants and animals or in a bacterium. All viruses are obligate parasites.
5. Viruses are not capable of reproducing on their own. They need a living host
cell.
Viral Diseases: Measles, chicken pox, mumps, polio, influenza, AIDS and common
cold.
Different types of viruses:
Phytophages : Virus infecting plants,
Zoophages: Virus infecting specific animals including human beings.
Bacteriophages: Virus infecting specific bacteria.
Bacteria
Bacteria are prokaryotic and most primitive unicellular organisms.
Bacteria are believed to be first living beings to have appeared on earth, some 3000
million years ago. They undergo respiration aerobically or anaerobically.
Bacteria are found everywhere like air, water, soil, in plants, in animals etc. They are
capable of living in extremely low as well as high temperatures i.e, about 80 0C.
1.They are very small, usually about 0.2 to 100 microns.
2. They are unicellular, simple in their structure as they do not have nucleus
They have a rigid cell wall made of cellulose outside the cell membrane.
Bacterial cell is larger than virus and smaller to a protozoan.
3.Based on shape, bacteria are classified into:
Bacilli: Rod shaped bacteria eg. Bacillus anthracis
Cocci: Spherical shaped bacteria eg. Streptococcus pneumonia
Vibrio: Comma shaped bacteria e.g. Vibrio cholera
Spirilla: Spiral shaped bacteria e.g. Spirillum
4. A few bacteria are autotrophic. Most of them are saprophytic or parasitic.
5.During unfavourable conditions for living, bacteria form spores.

Algae
Algae are simple, photosynthetic plants with unicellular or colonial or filamentous
thalli (plant body). The study of algae is called algalogy or phycology.
They live in ponds, rivers, lakes, oceans, snow, moist soil and rocks.
1. Algae are extremely diverse in structure and size. They range from single
celled Chlamydomonas found in fresh water habitats to 60m long multicellular
kelps found in sea.
2. Different types of algae look very different from each other.
3. They are autotrophs. Majority of algae contain green pigment chlorophyll for
photosynthesis.
4. Algae reproduce by vegetative (fragmentation), asexual (formation of spores)
and sexual by gametes.
Algae are classified into
Blue green algae : Eg: Nostoc
Green algae : Eg:Chlamydomonas, spirogyra(filamentous algae). Diatoms are
unicellular green algae found in fresh and sea waters. As they form food for many
animals in seas they are called Floating pastures of seas.
Brown algae : Eg: seaweeds, Laminaria, Sargassum
Red algae : Eg: Chondrus (Red sea owes its name due to floating red algae)

Protozoans
Protozoans are unicellular organisms. Some protozoans live in water, some in soil,
some in the bodies of other animals and cause diseases.
1. Protozoans are extremely diverse in shape and size. Mostly protozoans range
from 2 to 200 microns in size.
2. The protozoan body is naked or enveloped by pellicle or covered by an
exoskeleton.
3. Several protozoans do not have chlorophyll in their cells.
4. Protozoans increase in number simply by dividing into two by a process called
binary fission. Eg: amoeba. When conditions are not favourable, they form
spores or cysts.
5. Some of the protozoans are parasites in man and animals. Examples of
parasitic protozoans are Entamoeba histolytica which causes dysentery in
man and Plasmodium which attacks blood cells and causes malarial fever.
Euglena contains chlorophyll and can photosynthesize.

Some common protozoans