Bacteria Are Everywhere

Bacteria are everywhere, from the bottom of the ocean to the outer
atmosphere. Scientists estimate there are about five million trillion trillion of
the little guys (That's a five with 30 zeros after it!). The numbers of species
listed here are just the ones that have been identified so far; scientists think
there may be more than a million.
Lots of bacteria live on (and in) us. There are about ten times as many
bacterial cells on and inside your body as there are human cells, but luckily
most of them don't do us any harm. In fact, some are extremely helpful! For
example, about 1,000 species live in our guts and help break down milk,
produce vitamins, and do lots of other clever things.
The cells of Kingdom Monera are different from those of the other four
kingdoms in one big way: they're prokaryotic. This means that unlike
eukaryotes, they have no nuclei to contain their DNA, and they usually don't
have any other membrane-bound internal structures either. That doesn't mean
they're all alike, though! Some scientists think that this kingdom should be
split in two, because of recent genetic research showing that some bacteria
are as different from each other as they are from plants, fungi or animals. So,
don't be suprised if you see some people using systems with six kingdoms.
They use two new ones to replace Kingdom Monera: Kingdom Bacteria and
Kingdom Archaea.
Major Phyla Description Masks Approx

(groups) . # of
specie
s
Fusobacteria These bacteria tend to be found in 30

our mouths and throats. Most of
them are potentially pathogenic
(harmful). They can cause sore
throats and gum disease.
Archaebacteri This phylum is very different 300

a genetically from other types of
bacteria, and may even be less
closely related to them than it is to
eukaryotes like plants, animals,
fungi, and protists. As a result, many
people now place these organisms
into a new kingdom, called Archaea.
Bacteroides Lots of these rod-shaped bacteria 130

live in our digestive tracts and those
of other mammals. They help us
break down complex molecules so
that we can digest them, and they
keep other harmful bacteria from
colonising our intestines.
Chlorobia These "green sulfur bacteria" can be 20
shaped like rods, cones, or spirals.
They're anaerobic, meaning that
they live in places without oxygen.
Like plants, they have chlorophyll,
and can make their food using light
— and not just sunlight. There's at
least one species living on the sea
floor, at depths that no sunlight can
penetrate, which lives off the glow of
lava seeping from the Earth's crust!
Aquificae Most of these bacteria live in 30

extreme environments, like hot
springs or thermal vents on the
ocean floor, and are autotrophic,
meaning they make their own food.
The other autotrophic organisms
you might have come across are
plants, which rely on sunlight to
perform photosythesis. These
bacteria, on the other hand, make
their food by breaking down various
chemical compounds in a process
called chemosynthesis, so they
don't need light. As a result, they're
often the first step in food chains in
places where there isn't any
available, like at the bottom of the
ocean.
Fibrobacteres Some bacteria in this phylum live in 5

a special pouch in the stomachs of
cows, goats, sheep, and other
animals called a rumen. They can
digest cellulose, the main ingredient
in grass and leaves, into a form that
the animal's own digestive system
can handle. That's why you or I
couldn't survive by eating raw grass
the way a cow can— we haven't got
a rumen full of helpful Fibrobacteres!
Cyanobacteria Cyanobacteria contain chlorophyll 80

and can make their own food using
photosynthesis. When they're
finished, there's some oxygen left
over as a waste product. 2.4 billion
years ago there was almost no
oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere,
and some scientists think huge mats
of cyanobacteria floating on the
oceans produced enough to bring
the atmospheric levels up to what
they are today— about 20% oxygen.
This would have choked out all the
old life forms for whom oxygen was
toxic, and opened things up for new
ones like us who need it to live.
Firmicutes This phylum contains a wide variety 2,500

of bacteria with thick cell walls. The
most notorious member of the
phylum is Bacillus anthracis, which
causes anthrax.
Proteobacteri Some of the bacteria in this phylum 1,600

a are helpful to us, like the ones that
live on the roots of certain plants
and fertilize the soil by adding
nitrogen to it from the air. Other
members of this phylum, like
Salmonella, which causes some of
the most serious cases of food
poisoning, can make us really ill.
This phylum also includes E. coli,
which has more recently become
famous for causing food poisoning.
Most strains, however, are
harmless.
Spirochaetes Most of the spiral-shaped bacteria in 90

this phylum are harmless, but a few
of them can cause serious diseases
in humans. Syphilis and Lyme
Disease, both caused by
spirochaetes, can be deadly if not
treated.

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Bacteria are everywhere, from the bottom of the ocean to the outer

Major Phyla Description Masks Approx

Fusobacteria These bacteria tend to be found in 30

Archaebacteri This phylum is very different 300

Bacteroides Lots of these rod-shaped bacteria 130

Aquificae Most of these bacteria live in 30

Fibrobacteres Some bacteria in this phylum live in 5

Cyanobacteria Cyanobacteria contain chlorophyll 80

Firmicutes This phylum contains a wide variety 2,500

Proteobacteri Some of the bacteria in this phylum 1,600

Spirochaetes Most of the spiral-shaped bacteria in 90

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