Bacteria are soil. Environment of soil bacteria

Bacteria are the most ancient category of organisms that still exist today on our globe. The very first bacteria appeared more than 3.5 billion years ago. For almost a billion years, they were the only active creatures on our planet. Then their torso had a primitive structure. What are the soil bacteria, species and habitat - all this is considered in the framework of this article.

General information about bacteria

The composition of the earth includes a mass of various microorganisms, among which there are soil bacteria, mold and fungi. They are divided into harmful and necessary for the development of plants.

Microorganisms differ in terms of vital activity. Some can develop without access to oxygen, and for others, its presence is extremely necessary. There is also a special category of bacteria that can develop with or without oxygen.

The role of soil bacteria in plant life

Do soil bacteria benefit plants? The importance of microorganisms in the vital activity of plants is quite large. The necessary agro-soil bacteria daily process the organics of animals into the necessary mineral substances. With such processing, the soil is enriched with calcium, iron, phosphorus, nitrogen and many other necessary elements.

Bacteria soil not only enrich the earth with useful elements, but also improve the physiological qualities of the soil. The more soil in the soil of the desired bacteria, the higher its fertility.

The greatest number of necessary organisms is in the region of the spread of the large-root system of the plant, namely in the rhizosphere. In it, soil bacteria use the dying parts of the root system as food.

Groups of dangerous soil microorganisms

Groups of soil bacteria contain such species that participate in the photosynthesis of nitrogen, carbon and phosphorus. In the soil there are not only useful microorganisms, but also pathogenic ones. Most pathogenic bacteria live in the soil quite shortly. However, certain species are permanent residents of it. Disease bacteria are divided into three categories:

• Bacteria for which the earth is a natural biotone. They are causative agents of botulism and actinomycetes.

• Bacteria that enter the soil with organic secretions of living things. Such microorganisms can remain in the ground for a long time. They are the causative agents of anthrax, tetanus and gangrene.

• Bacteria, which also enter the soil with organic secretions, but remain there for up to one month. They can cause intestinal bacillus, salmonella, shigella and cholera. All harmful bacteria destroy not only the beneficial properties of the soil, but also the root system of plants.

Bacteria habitat

Soil bacteria live in the cover of the earth quite unevenly. Any category of microorganisms lives where it can find a comfortable habitat, food and water. Simple organisms are present everywhere, where there are basic elements - mainly in the upper cover of the soil. Surprisingly, soil bacteria were also found in oil wells, the depth of which is more than 16 kilometers.

Living near the root system

As we said earlier, the most favorite place of soil bacteria is the top layer of the soil. The rhizosphere is a layer of earth around the root system. It is densely populated by microorganisms that feed on plant waste, as well as their proteins and sugars. The simplest organisms, such as worms, feed on microorganisms and also live in a large-root sphere. Thanks to this, the cycle of useful elements and the suppression of diseases are carried out precisely in the rhizosphere.

Vegetable litter

Few people know where the soil bacteria live. In this article, we will try to describe in more detail their living environment.

Mushrooms are the most popular decomposers of plant fragments. Bacteria soil can not carry some necessary elements over long distances. This is what allows mushrooms to develop. It is in the mushroom vegetative litter is also present a huge number of bacteria.

Humus is another habitat for soil bacteria. Only mushrooms produce certain enzymes, which are necessary for the cleavage of difficult elements located in humus. A significant part of the important elements that are contained in the earth were previously split many times by fungi and microorganisms. The humus compounds, which are obtained due to the cleavage, include a small amount of readily available nitrogen.

On agro-soil aggregates

Another habitat of soil bacteria is agro-soil aggregates. On their surface, the content of microorganisms is much higher than inside. In the middle, only those processes that do not require oxygen content can pass. A large number of aggregates are feces of earthworms and other simple organisms. Between the agro-soil aggregates, arthropods and nematodes move which can not create channels directly in the soil.

Organisms that are susceptible to loss of moisture, as well as soil bacteria, live in canals filled with water. For the supply of moisture-loving organisms, a basic part of the soil is needed, which is actively reduced annually in agricultural areas. It is for this reason that there is a need for the use of fertilizers.

Damage to soil bacteria

I believe that every gardener once thought about whether soil bacteria are dangerous. In this article, we will try to dispel all the myths and conjectures that concern this issue. In the ground lives a huge number of pathogenic microorganisms. For example, in the upper 30 cm layer of soil, one hectare in size, about 30 tons of simple organisms live. Having a strong set of enzymes, decay bacteria break down proteins to amino acids. This is the main criterion in the process of decomposition. These microorganisms bring living beings a huge number of problems. By the way, it is because of the work of these simple organisms that the food products that are designed for a long shelf life, namely pickles and frozen fruits and vegetables, quickly deteriorate. Fortunately, mistresses have long learned to get out of the situation. For longer storage, they use the process of sterilization and processing of products. However, certain types of microorganisms can still spoil food preparations, even despite careful processing.

Disease bacteria enter the ground due to infected living creatures. As we said earlier, certain subspecies of microorganisms and fungi can be in the ground for decades. This is due to their distinctive feature - to form spores. They protect bacteria from negative environmental influences. Such microorganisms stimulate the development of some of the most dangerous diseases - anthrax, poisoning, gangrene and catalepsy.

How bacteria get into the soil

In simpler terms, agro-soil bacteria are part of the composition of the soil, but not of the soil itself, but of its fertile layer. In one dessert spoonful of turf contains more than one billion simple organisms that are regularly occupied either by a specific stage of the decay of deadened organic matter, or by fixation of the base elements arriving at the base of the eclectic elements and the construction of difficult basic molecules.

Groups of agro-soil microorganisms originate from those times when the other living beings were just emerging and left the first traces of their life activity. It was these residues that became the first house of soil microorganisms. Having learned to change the organic matter in the soil, the bacteria live in it until now, adapting to the changing circumstances of the environment.

Division by function

Among biologists, there is a multifunctional division of agro-soil microorganisms according to their functions:

1. Destructors - bacteria that live in the ground and mineralize the basic compounds that are in the upper layer of the earth. Their role is to transform the remnants of living beings and plants into eclectic elements.

2. Nitrogen-fixing or tuberous microorganisms are plant symbionts. Their significance lies in the fact that only this type of bacteria is able to combine inorganic oxygen elements and provide them with plants. It is thanks to this that the soil and plants receive important minerals.

3. Chemoautotrophs are microorganisms that concentrate existing inorganic substances in basic molecules. Their significance lies in the fact that they can process the eclectic elements accumulating in the base, and then transfer them to the plants.

Incredible fact

For a long time it was believed that only complex organisms can smell. However, two years ago it turned out that such a receptor is also present in yeast bacteria and slime cells.

The scientists decided to conduct an experiment and find out whether the agro-soil bacteria feel the presence of ammonia in the air around them. Surprisingly, the bacteria surpassed all the expectations of the experimenters. Thanks to this research, the scientists found out that microorganisms are also able to distinguish smells.

Summing up

Soil bacteria play an important role in the fertility of the soil and the vital activity of all living beings. In this article we have found out where the soil bacteria live and how they are related to the development of plants and living organisms.

When working with soil, it is worth remembering that there are not only useful microorganisms present, but also pathogenic ones that can become causative agents of life-threatening diseases. It is strongly recommended that you wear gloves, and wash hands after use. Be healthy!