Biological World

 

  ECOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE OF FUNGI Fungi play crucial ecological roles that contribute to the stability and productivity of ecosystems. Fungi are the most hyper diverse lineage of eukaryotes and have been horizontally invading lithogenic substrates since their inception. Their unique abilities to decompose, form symbiotic relationships, enhance soil health, and contribute to ecological balance make them indispensable for healthy ecosystems. Their main ecological importance includes:   1.    Decomposition and Nutrient Cycling: Fungi play a major role in the decomposition of organic matter and the cycling of nutrients in ecosystems. Organic materials consist of a variety of complex compounds such as cellulose and lignin. Fungi possess enzymes that break these substrates down, depolymerizing them, so that they can be taken up as nutrients. In ecosystems, most of the organic material composed of complex carbohydrates is found in the form of dead plants and dead an...

 

Cereals and Grains:   1. Wheat: Triticum aestivum 2. Rice: Oryza sativa 3. Corn (Maize): Zea mays 4. Barley: Hordeum vulgare 5. Oat: Avena sativa 6. Sorghum: Sorghum bicolor 7. Millet: Panicum miliaceum 8. Rye: Secale cereale 9. Triticale: × Triticosecale 10. Teff: Eragrostis tef 11. Quinoa: Chenopodium quinoa 12. Amaranth: Amaranthus hypochondriacus 13. Buckwheat: Fagopyrum esculentum 14. Millet (Foxtail): Setaria italica 15. Pearl Millet: Pennisetum glaucum 16. Finger Millet: Eleusine coracana   Legumes:   17. Soybean: Glycine max 18. Peanut: Arachis hypogaea 19. Common Bean: Phaseolus vulgaris 20. Kidney Bean: Phaseolus vulgaris 21. Lima Bean: Phaseolus lunatus 22. Chickpea: Cicer arietinum 23. Lentil: Lens culinaris 24. Pea: Pisum sativum 25. Fava Bean: Vicia faba 26. Lupin: Lupinus angustifolius 27. Cowpea: Vigna unguiculata 28. Mung Bean: Vigna radiata 29. Black-eyed Pea: Vigna unguiculata 30. Adzuki Bean: Vigna angularis   Fruits:   31. Apple: Malus domes...

  Beneficial Aspects of Bacteria Bacteria play a crucial role in various aspects of the economy, influencing industries such as agriculture, medicine, biotechnology, and environmental management. Here's an overview of the economic importance of bacteria: 1. Agriculture (a) Nitrogen Fixation : Certain bacteria, like Rhizobium species, can fix atmospheric nitrogen into a form that plants can absorb. This is vital for crop production and reduces the need for chemical fertilizers, saving costs and promoting sustainable agriculture. Rhizobium form symbiotic relationships with legumes, converting atmospheric nitrogen into a form usable by plants. This natural fertilization process reduces the need for synthetic fertilizers, saving farmers money and minimizing environmental impact.   (b) Biological Pest Control: Bacteria such as Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) produce toxins harmful to insects, serving as natural pesticides. Bt-based products are widely used in agriculture t...

Bacteria: Properties Bacteria (eubacteria) are microscopic and least differentiated living organisms, believed to be the first primitive organisms on our planet. They are the typical prokaryotes and also possess characters resembling both the plants and the animals. Bacteria show considerable variation in characters almost themselves, they possess many characters common to all. Such common characters of bacteria are the following. 1. They are omnipresent and occur in all possible habitats.  2. Most of the bacteria have heterotrophic (absorptive) mode of nutrition, i.e., they absorb their food directly from their external environment, and may be saprophytic, mutualistic or parasitic. Some bacteria are autotrophic; they possess bacteriochlorophyll and synthesize their own food . 3.Bacteria are usually single - called and morphologically least complex of all the living organisms.  4. They are either photosynthetic Or heterottrophic. In case of photosynthetic bacteria, Bacteriochl...

  The components of Viruses Capsid:  Capsid is the protein shell enclosing the viral genome. The nucleic acid together with some associated basic proteins forms the core of the virion. The relatively small genomes of the viruses cannot make many proteins. Therefore the viruses cannot afford too many proteins for building the capsid. The capsid of tobacco mosaic virus, for example, contains only a single polypeptide. In the icosahedral viruses, the capsid is made from one to several polypeptides. The polypeptides fold to form the basic structural unit of the capsid, known as a protomer. The protomers may associate with each other to form a capsomer. In icosahedral viruses five protomers form a pentameric capsomer, or six protomers are associated to form a hexameric capsomer. In a single virion, both pentameric and hexameric capsomers are present to give the characteristic shape and size to virion. The number of total capsomers is characteristic for the particular virus In helic...