Bacteria live everywhere: on earth and on water, underground and under water, in the air, in the bodies of other creatures of nature. So, for example, in the body of a he althy adult representative of the human race, over 10 thousand species of microorganisms live, and their total mass is from 1 to 3 percent of the total weight of a person. Some microscopic creatures use organic matter as food. Among them, decay bacteria occupy a significant place. They destroy the remains of the dead bodies of animals and plants, feeding on this matter.
Natural process
Decomposition of organics is a natural process and also mandatory, as if clearly planned by nature itself. Without decay, the circulation of matter on Earth would be impossible. And in any case, the signs of decomposition mean the emergence of a new life, emerging at the beginning. The rot bacteria are the big deal here! Among all the richness of organic life forms, they are responsible for this laborious and irreplaceable process.
What is decay
The bottom line is that the most complex matter in its composition breaks down into simpler elements. The modern understanding of scientists about this process, which turns organic compounds into inorganic ones, can be described by the following actions:
- Bacteria of decay have a metabolism that chemically breaks the bonds of organic molecules containing nitrogen. The process of nutrition takes place in the form of capture of protein molecules and amino acids.
- Enzymes that are produced by microorganisms, in the process of splitting, release ammonia, amines, hydrogen sulfide from protein molecules.
- Products entering the body of putrefactive bacteria are used for energy.
Releasing ammonia
The nitrogen cycle is an important component of life on Earth. And the microorganisms involved in it are one of the most numerous groups. In natural ecosystems, they play the main restoring role in soil mineralization. Hence the name - decomposer (which means "restoring"). Ammonifying bacteria, that is, capable of releasing nitrogen from dead organic matter, are widely represented here. These are non-spore-forming enterobacteria, bacilli, spore-forming clostridia.
Hay stick
Bacillus subtilis is one of the most common bacteria studied by researchers. Lives in the soil, mainly breathes with the help ofoxygen. The composition of the body is one non-nuclear cell. This is a rather large microorganism, the image of which can be obtained using a simple increase. For nutrition, the hay stick produces proteases - catalytic enzymes that reside on the outer shell of its cell. With the help of enzymes, the bacterium destroys the structure of the protein molecule (the peptide bond of amino acids), thereby releasing the amino group. As a rule, this process occurs in several stages and leads to the synthesis of energy in the cell (ATP). Decomposition caused by bacteria (rotting) is accompanied by the formation of toxic compounds harmful to humans.
What are these substances
First of all, these are the final products: ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. Also, with incomplete mineralization, the following are formed:
- cadaverine poisons (cadaverine, for example);
- aromatic compounds (skatole, indole);
- when rotting amino acids containing sulfur, thiols, dimethyl sulfoxide are formed.
Actually, within the limits controlled by the immune system, the decomposition process is part of the digestive process for many animals and for humans. It occurs, as a rule, in the large intestine, and the putrefactive bacteria play a primary role in it. But on a large scale, poisoning with decay products can lead to disastrous results. A person needs urgent medical care, intestinal lavage and therapy that restores the microflora. In addition, the accumulation of ammonia in the body can be initiated by certain types of bacteria, includingnumber and Escherichia coli. As a result, ammonia accumulates in some tissues. But with the normal functioning of all systems, it binds to urea and then is excreted from the human body.
Saprotrophs
Bacteria of putrefaction are classified as saprotrophs, along with bacteria of fermentation. Both those and others break down organic compounds - nitrogen-containing and carbon-containing, respectively. In both cases, energy is released, which is used for nutrition and life support of microorganisms. Without fermentation bacteria (for example, fermented milk), humanity would not have received such important food products as kefir or cheese. They are also widely used in cooking and winemaking.
But saprotrophic decay bacteria can also cause food spoilage. This process, as a rule, is accompanied by an extensive release of carbon dioxide, ammonia, energy, substances toxic to humans, as well as heating of the substrate (sometimes to self-ignition). Therefore, people have learned to create conditions under which decay bacteria lose their ability to reproduce or simply die. Such food-preserving measures include sterilization and pasteurization, thanks to which preservation can be preserved for a relatively long time. Bacteria also lose their properties when the product is frozen. And in ancient times, when modern methods were not yet known, products were protected from spoilage by pathogenic microflora by drying, s alting, sugaring, since microorganisms cease their vital activity in a s alty and sugary environment, and during drying, most of the water needed forbreeding bacteria.
Bacteria of decay: the importance of microorganisms in the biosphere
The role of bacteria of this kind for all life on Earth can hardly be overestimated. In the biosphere, due to their ammonifying activity, the process of decomposition of dead animals and plants is constantly going on, followed by their mineralization. The simple substances and inorganic compounds formed as a result of this, including carbon dioxide, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide and others, participate in the cycle of substances, serve as food for plants, close the transition of energy from one representative of the flora and fauna of the Earth to another, providing the opportunity for the birth of a new life.
Nitrogen release is not available for higher plants, and without the participation of decay bacteria, they would not be able to fully feed and develop.
Rotting bacteria are directly involved in soil-forming processes, decomposing dead organic matter into its constituent parts. This property plays an indispensable role in agriculture and other human activities.
Finally, without the aforementioned vital activity of microorganisms, the surface of the Earth, including water spaces, would be littered with non-decomposed corpses of animals and plants, and a considerable number of them died during the existence of the planet!
