What is a micro-organism?
Q: What is a micro-organism?
A: A micro-organism is an organism which is microscopic, meaning it is so small that people cannot see them with the naked eye.
Q: What types of micro-organisms exist?
A: Types of micro-organisms include bacteria, fungi, archaea, protists and viruses.
Q: Are all micro-organisms unicellular organisms?
A: Most micro-organisms are unicellular organisms with only one cell, but there are some multicellular species that are microscopic.
Q: Where do most micro-organisms live?
A: Most micro-organisms live almost everywhere on earth where there is liquid water, including hot springs on the ocean floor and deep inside rocks within the earth's crust. Such habitats are lived in by extremophiles.
Q: What role do they play in ecosystems?
A: Micro-organisms are critical to nutrient recycling in ecosystems because they act as decomposers. They also take nitrogen out of the air, making them an important part of the nitrogen cycle.
Q: Can some microbes cause disease?
A: Yes, pathogenic or harmful microbes can invade other organisms and cause disease.
