Microorganisms

Microorganisms, aka Microbes, are microscopic organisms that can’t be seen with the naked eye. Microorganisms can exist in colonies or in single-celled form, and can be found in almost every habitat, from the poles to the equator, deserts, geysers, rocks,deep down in the sea… you name it. And some are adapted to extremes conditions such as very high/low temperature, others to high pressure and a few to high radiation environments.

Microorganisms were first discovered by, Robert Hooke and Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, between 1665 and 1678. Hooke presented the first published depiction of a microrganism, the microfungus Mucor. Later, Leeuwenhoek observed and described microscopic protozoa and bacteria. Microorganisms include all unicellular organisms Eukaryotes and Prokaryotes, and they are so extremely diverse including, bacteria, fungi, viruses, algae, archaea and protozoa. 

The vast majority of microbes on the earth are harmless, in fact they are a vital component of fertile soils and in the human body, aiding decomposition, decay and helping us digest our food. However, some microorganisms can be pathogenic.

In this article We will briefly scratch the surface of some major divisions within microorganisms, and hopefully we’ll explore each group in more details in future articles. 

Bacteria, the most well-known and the most common microorganism on earth, they are extremely diverse and in terms of number are by far the most successful organism on Earth so successful they hold their own Domain in the 3 Domains of life.

Bacteria are thought to have been the first organisms to appear on earth, about 4 billion years ago. And the earth is estimated to hold at least 5 nonillion bacteria, and much of the earth's biomass is thought to be made up of bacteria.

Fungi Fungi are eukaryotic organisms, historically, fungi were included in the plant kingdom; however, because fungi lack chlorophyll and are distinguished by unique structural and physiological features, they have been separated from plants, and giving their own Kingdom. the kingdom Fungi, which includes the yeasts, rusts, smuts, mildews, molds, and mushrooms.

Viruses : a Virus is, an infectious agent of small size and simple composition — nucleic acid (DNA or RNA,) and a protein coat — that can multiply only in living cells of animals, plants, or bacteria. Viruses are considered by many experts a non-living organisms.

Algae : Algae are a diverse group of predominantly aquatic organisms that have the ability to conduct photosynthesis.  Algae have many types of life cycles, and they range in size from microscopic Micromonas species to giant kelps that reach 60 metres in length. Certain algae are familiar to most people; for instance, seaweeds (such as kelp or phytoplankton), pond scum or the algal blooms in lakes. However, there exists a vast and varied world of algae that are not only helpful to us, but are critical to our existence.

There are other groups such as Archaea and Protozoa which are generally less well known.