Microorganisms In Aquatic Environments

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Microorganisms of Aquatic Environment Microorganisms are indispensable for life on the earth. As in virtually all ecosystems, freshwater or otherwise, microorganisms play vital role in primary production, breakdown and recycling of materials and nutrients in lotic systems. The surface of any rock that has been in a stream for a few days becomes slightly slimy. Such slimy organic films called biofilms and it grows on any surface that is present within a stream and consists a complex assemblage of microorganisms. Composition of biofilms varies as environmental variations. All organisms in ecosystems rely on the activity of microorganisms (Kirk et al. 2004). In many aquatic systems, increased phytoplankton numbers, such as algae are followed by…show more content…
Till now, there remains limited information about the link between microbial community composition and functioning in aquatic ecosystems. Microorganisms are to be counted among the essential components of virtually all ecosystems. Heterotrophic microorganisms have their place among the decomposers, mineralizers as well as symbionts, parasites etc. In freshwater ecosystems, microorganisms inhabit the water column as suspended microbes, as sessile microbes in biofilms attached to vegetation and substrate surfaces, or as microbial mats in benthic habitats where microbes are compressed to microbial layers according to their biological activity requirements (Dowd et al., 2000). The soil microbes decompose the plant and animal residues entering the soil and convert them into soil organic matter, which influences on soil physical, chemical and biological properties and on creating a complimentary medium for biological reactions and life support in the soil…show more content…
1998). In this sense. Heterotrophic bacteria are the main decomposers of organic matter in rivers and are resposible for the large proportion of ecosystem respiration. Sediment bacteria account for 60% of total community respiration in rivers and are respponsible for most of the metabolic activity (Storey et al. 1999) including microbial degradation of the organic matter and the reduction of the nuutrients like nitrate, phosphate etc. therefore, sediment biofilms play a significant role in transfer of elements to higher trophic

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