Comprised of just one cell, bacteria are the simplest of all living things. They can perform all of the functions necessary for life within their microscopic package.....reproduce, perform metabolic functions, grow and develop, respond to their environment and are made of (just one) cell. They can live in nearly any environment: in the oceans, on land, in your intestines, between your toes, in your food, and the list goes on and on! Members of the kingdom Archaea (which used to be classified with bacteria in the old kingdom Monera) are extremophiles , meaning that they can live in the planet's harshest climates (extreme cold as well as extreme heat). All life on Earth evolved from these amazing little guys....and the photosynthetic cyanaobacteria are even credited with introducing oxygen into our atmosphere (thus leading to further evolution of life on land).
Our vocabulary for the week includes:
- microorganism
- kingdom
- binary fission
- virus
- bacteria
- archaea
- producer
- decomposer
- parasite
Next week we will explore the wonderful world of viruses and learn why they are not considered organisms....fun stuff!
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