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MICROBIAL INTERACTIONS

 Types of microbial interactions:

Positive interactions don't harm, or no harm is done to the other organisms in this process.
Negative interactions harms or kills the other organism in the process/

Types of positive interaction:

Mutualism: Both microbes benefit from the interaction. This involves
  • Nutrient exchange.
  • Metabolic cooperation.
  • Physical association.
Commensalism: One microbe benefit, while the other is neither harmed nor helped. This involves
  • Provide habitat.
  • Nutrition availability.
Example: Gut microbe helps for digestion and supports our immune system.

Types of negative interaction:

Negative interaction affects the microbe and can kill it.

  • Competition: The microbes compete each other for nutrition, space and to survive.
  • Predation: One microbe act as predator and another as prey, the predator microbe hunts down the prey and takes nutrition from it.
  • Parasitism: The parasitic organism attaches to the host organism and takes nutrition that goes to host and harms the host.
  • Amensalism: The microbe produces enzyme which inhibits or kills another.

Commensalism

Types of commensalism:

Phoresy: The organism uses another for the transportation e.g. mites on insects.

Inquilinism: One organism lives in the shelter or home of another.

Metabiosis:  One organism creates or modifies a habitat that benefits another.


Mutualism:

Both organisms involved in the relationship gain something valuable, such as food, shelter, protection, or help with reproduction.

Obligatory mutualism: The organism completely dependent on the other for its survival.

Facultative mutualism: The organism is not completely dependent on other and can survive on its own.

eg Nitrogen fixers help to fix atmospheric nitrogen in plant roots to easy uptake of plant roots for growth.

Cooperation:

  • Both the organism benefits in this interaction.
  • It can be between same species or different species.
e.g. mycorrhizae helps to plant growth.

Ammensalism:

  • One organism inhibits the growth of other or kills by releasing the enzymes to reduce the population of other organisms.
  • It indirectly harms the other organism.
  • Can use chemical inhibitor- enzymes.
e.g. Antibiotic production in fungi and bacteria.

Parasitism:

  • One organism is benefited while other gets harmed in this interaction.
  • Parasites harm the host to get nutrition from the host.
e.g. tapeworm in intestines of human.

Predation:

  • One organism kills other and gets nutrient from it like predator hunts and eats the prey.
  • Predator adapts to the environment of hunting grounds.
  • Prey uses defense system to protect itself from the predator.

Biofilm production:

Biofilm is produced by group of bacteria that comes and attach to a surface embed with matrix known as extracellular polymeric substance. It provides structural support.

Steps in formation of biofilm production:
  1. Attachment.
  2. Aggregation.
  3. Maturation.
  4. Dispersal.

Importance of Biofilm production:
  • Protection from radiation.
  • Nutrient availability.
  • Cell to cell communication through chemical signals.
  • To survive.





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