Microbial Diversity

Microorganisms make up a large part of the planet’s living material and play a major role in maintaining
the Earth’s ecosystem.
Microorganisms are beneficial in producing oxygen, decomposing organic material, providing nutrients
for plants, and maintaining human health, but some can be pathogenic and cause diseases in plants and
humans.
The Three Domains
Microbial Diversity
 Estimates of biodiversity
Kingdom/Major Division No. described species

Viruses 1,000
Monera
Bacteria, Myxoplasma, Cyanophycota 4,760
Fungi
Zygomycota, Ascomycota, etc. 46,983
Algae 26,900
Plantae 248,428
Protozoa 30,800
Animalia (including Arthropoda) 989,761
Chordata (Tunicata, Vertebrata, etc.) 43,852

Total 1,392,485

Estimates of total diversity between 5-30 million species!!!!

 750,000

250,000
41,000
Types of Microorganisms
(cellular composition, morphology, mean of locomotion, and
reproduction)

Bacteria- relatively simple, unicellular, genetic material is

not enclosed in nuclear membrane.

Archae- often found in extreme environments

Fungi- eukaryotic cell, may be unicellular or multicellular,

can reproduce sexually or asexually

Protists-normally inhabits mud and soil, grazing on other

microorganisms as food. Eg; protozoa (animal-like
protists)

Algae-photosynthetic eukaryotes, unicellular or multicellular

important role in balance of nature

Viruses- very small, only seen under electron microscope,

acellular (not cellular)
single-celled prokaryotes (no nucleus)
single-celled bacteria which are very ancient and live in extreme environments
Euryarchaeota
Euryarchaeota

Found in extreme high saline

environments
Large blooms of halobacteria

Appear reddish/pink due to the

presence of bacterirhodopsin
 Eukarya Domain

single-celled or multicellular organisms which have a nucleus

and membrane-bound organelles.