Bacteria - the most numerous inhabitants of the planet Earth.They settled it in ancient times and continue to exist today.Some species even have changed little since then.Bacteria useful and harmful literally surround us everywhere (and even penetrate into other organisms).With a fairly primitive single-celled structure, they are one of the most probably effective forms of wildlife and stand out in a special realm.
safety margin
These microorganisms, they say, do not sink in the water and do not burn in the fire.Literally withstand temperatures up to plus 90 degrees, freezing, the absence of oxygen, pressure - high and low.You can tell that they put a huge nature reserve of strength.
bacteria, useful and harmful to the human body
Typically, bacteria are abundant inhabiting our bodies, has been neglected.Because they are so small that they do not seem to have any significant value.Those who think so are largely mistaken.The bacteria are beneficial and harmful for a long time and reliable manner, "colonized" other organisms to successfully co-exist with them.Yes, they can not be seen without the aid of optics, but they can benefit or harm our body.
who lives in the gut?
Doctors say that if you put together only the bacteria that live in the intestines, and weigh - get something around three kilos!With such a huge army can not be ignored.The human gut is continuously caught many of the microorganisms, but some species are there favorable conditions for living and life.And in the process of evolution even formed a permanent microflora, which is designed to perform important physiological functions.
«wise» neighbors
bacteria in human life have long played an important role, but until very recently, a man about it and had no idea.They help their master in digestion and performing various functions.What are these invisible neighbors?
Permanent microflora
99% of the population resident in the gut.They are ardent supporters and helpers of man.
- main beneficial bacteria.Names: Bifidobacterium and Bacteroides.Their overwhelming majority.
- Related beneficial bacteria.Names: E. coli, enterococci, lactobacilli.Their number should be 1-9% of the total.
must know also that in the corresponding adverse conditions all the flora of the intestine (the exception - bifidobacteria) can cause disease.
What are they doing?
main functions of these bacteria - to help us in the process of digestion.It has been observed that a person with the wrong diet can occur goiter.As a result - stagnation and malaise, constipation, and other inconveniences.When normalizing the balance between supply disease usually recedes.
Another feature of these bacteria - a guard.They shall ensure that any bacteria are useful.Beyond that, to "outsiders" do not enter into their community.If, for example, in trying to break the gut pathogen dysentery - Shigella Sonne, they kill it.However, it should be noted that this only happens in the body relatively healthy people with good immune systems.Otherwise - your risk increases significantly.
Unstable microflora
about 1% in healthy individuals are so-called opportunistic microbes.They are fickle microflora.Under normal conditions, they perform certain functions that are not harmful to man, working for the good.But in a certain situation can manifest itself as a pest.This is mainly staphylococci and various fungi.
dislocations in the gastrointestinal tract
In fact, the whole digestive tract has a heterogeneous and non microflora - bacteria beneficial and harmful.Esophagus comprises occupants same as in the oral cavity.In the stomach are just some that are resistant to acid: Lactobacillus, helicobacter, streptococci, fungi.In the small intestine microflora is also scarce.Most bacteria are in the colon.So, defecating, the person is able to allocate more than 15 trillion microorganisms in the day!
role of bacteria in nature
It is definitely great.There are several global functions without which all life on the planet certainly would long ago have ceased to exist.The most important - sanitary.Bacteria consume dead organisms found in nature.They are, in essence, a kind of work as janitors, not allowing to accumulate deposits of dead cells.Scientifically referred to as saprotrophs.
Another important role of bacteria - participation in a worldwide circulation of substances on land and at sea.On planet Earth, all the matter in the biosphere transferred from one organism to another.Without some bacteria this transition would be simply impossible.Invaluable role of bacteria, for example, in the circulation and reproduction of such an important element as nitrogen.In the soil there are certain bacteria that make the use of nitrogen in air, nitrogen fertilizer for plants (microorganisms reside directly at their roots).This symbiosis between plants and bacteria studied by science.
Participation in food chains
As already mentioned, the bacteria - the most numerous inhabitants of the biosphere.And accordingly, can and should participate in food chains inherent in the nature of animals and plants.Of course, for a man, for example, bacteria are not the main part of the diet (except that you can use as a food additive).However, there are organisms that feed on bacteria.These organisms, in turn, feed on other animals.
Cyanobacteria
These cyanobacteria (formerly known as the bacteria, fundamentally wrong from a scientific point of view) able to produce a huge amount of oxygen by photosynthesis.Once upon a time they began to saturate our atmosphere with oxygen.Cyanobacteria successfully continue to do so to this day, forming some of the oxygen in the modern atmosphere!
