By Andy Pacas and Anthony Esparza
http://www.darkenergybiosphere.org/resources/toolbox.html
What are microbes?
 Single celled organisms that make up the bacteria
and archaea kingdoms
 They make up a majority of the life on Earth in
terms of mass.
 They are the first organisms to form.
Role in Ecology
 Nearly all microbes are either decomposers or
producers.
 They play the major role of maintaining the
nitrogen and carbon cycles.
tiny
Evolution
 Microbes are the oldest organism on earth
specifically 3.3 billion years.
 Without them evolution would have been
kaput!
Deep Sea
 Life for the microbes in the deep ocean is
intense.
 Several factors in their environment are
immense pressure, complete darkness, and
restricted by lack of chemicals and nutrients in
most places.
 The ocean is
separated into
multiple biospheres
or layers
 Each of these sphere
has it’s own
characteristics.
 Only areas that have
lots of light have
been heavily
observed.
Alcanivorax borkumensis
 This is the Latin name for the oil-eating microbe
 This microbe is found naturally in the deep ocean
feeding off oil seeping out of the floor.
 Discovered recently the microbe Alcanivorax
borkumensis has quickly became a global asset in
terms of oil clean up for its cheap efficiency.
Pros/Cons of treatments
Chemical/physical
Biological
 Physical is limited to the area
 Can treat the whole problem
in which it could treat and
has some errors involved
 Chemicals could remove the
damages but can
unintentionally harm the
organisms involved
with maximum efficiency and
little to no effect to the
organisms involved
Microbes in oil clean-up
Think
 Why are microbes so essential to all life forms in terms
of ecology and evolution? (5min)