Chapter-10 Microbes in Human Welfare

Which type of food would have lactic acid bacteria. Discuss their useful
application.

(a) What would happen if a large volume of untreated sewage is discharged
into a river?
(b) In what way anaerobic sludge diagestion is important in sewage
treatments?

Describe the main ideas behind the biological control of pests and
diseases.

Draw a diagrammatic sketch of biogas plant, and label its various
components given below: Gas Holder, Sludge Chamber, Digester,
Dung+water chamber.

(a) Discuss about the major programs that the Ministry of Environment
and Forests, Government of India, has initiated for saving major Indian
rivers from pollution.
(b) Ganga has recently been declared the national river. Discuss the
implication with respect to pollution of this river.

Why is aerobic degradation more important than anaerobic degradation
for the treatment of large volumes of waste waters rich in organic matter.
Discuss.

What are biofertilisers? Give two examples.

Which bacterium has been used as a clot buster? What is its mode of
action.

What are viruses parasitising bacteria called? Draw a well labelled
diagram of the same.

What is a broad spectrum antibiotic? Name one such antibiotic.

How do microbes reduce the environmental degradation caused by
chemicals?

What is the chemical nature of biogas. Name an organism which is
involved in biogas production?

What roles do enzymes play in detergents that we use for washing clothes?
Are these enzymes produced from some unique microorganisms?

How do bioactive molecules of fungal origin help in restoring good health
of humans?

Name the scientists who were credited for showing the role of Penicillin
as an antibiotic?

How was penicillin discovered?

Why are cyanobacteria considered useful in paddy fields?

How do mycorrhizal fungi help the plants harbouring them?

How has the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis helped us in controlling
caterpillars of insect pests?

Why are flocs important in biological treatment of waste water?

Name a microbe used for the production of Swiss cheese.

What is the group of bacteria found in both the rumen of cattle and
shidge of sewage treatment?

Give an example of a rod shaped virus.

Name an immune immunosupressive agent?

Name any two industrially important enzymes.

Name the states involved in Ganga action plan.

Which species of Penicillium produces Roquefort cheese?

Why are blue green algae not popular as biofertilisers?

Name any genetically modified crop.

What is the source organism for ECORI, restriction endonuclease?

Give any two microbes that are useful in biotechnology.

What would happen if our intestine harbours microbial flora exactly
similar to that found in the rumen of cattle?

Write the most important characteristic that Aspergillus niger,
Clostridium butylicum, and Lactobacillus share.

Why is distillation required for producing certain alcoholic drinks?

How has the discovery of antibiotics helped mankind in the field of
medicine?

What for Nucleopolyhydro viruses are being used now a days?

Why do we prefer to call secondary waste water treatment as biological
treatment?

Name a microbe used for statin production. How do statins lower blood
cholesterol level?

What are fermentors?

Why does ‘Swiss cheese’ have big holes?

How does primary sludge differ from activated sludge? What type of changes in the sludge are carried out in anaerobic sludge digester? Give the composition of biogas produced in the sewage treatment plant

What are statins? Name the microorganism that produces this substance.

How is it medically important?

What are biofertilisers? A farmer is advised to add a culture of bacterium in the soil before sowing the crop. Name the bacterium in the culture. How is this bacterium useful to the crop?

What is biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) test? At what stage of Sewage treatment this test is performed?

BOD level of three samples of water labelled as A, B and C are 30 mg/ L, 10mg/L and 500 mg/L respectively. Which sample of water is most polluted?

Fill in the blanks spaces a, b, c, d, e, and f, given in the following table:

S. No.   Name of Organism              Commercial Product   Application

Which Ministry of Govt. of India had initiated Ganga Action Plan and

Yamuna Action Plan? What are the objectives of these plans?

Cyanobacteria (Nostoc, Anabaena) are used as biofertilisers in certain crop fields.  Name  such  one  crop. Also,  mention  the  names  of  two  other microorganisms which perform the same function.

How do mycorrhizae function as biofertilisers? Explain with example.

Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) is commonly used in the conversion of milk into curd. Mention any two other functions of LAB that are useful to humans.

Name two alcoholic drinks produced in each of the following ways. (i) by distillation and (ii) without distillation.

Name the plant whose sap is used in making ‘Toddy’. Mention the process involved in it.

Alexander Fleming discovered ‘Penicillin, but its full potential as an effective antibiotic was established by other scientists. Name the two scientists.

You have observed that fruit juice in bottles bought from the market are clearer as compared to those made at home. Give reason.

An antibiotic called ‘Wonder Drug’ was used to treat the wounded soldiers of America during World War-II. Name the drug and the scientist who discovered it

Why is secondary treatment of water in sewage treatment plant called biological treatment?

How does a small amount of curd added to fresh milk convert it into curd?

Mention a nutritional quality that get added to the curd.

Microbes can be used to decrease the use of chemical fertilizers & pesticides.
Explain how can this be accomplished?

What is the key difference between primary & secondary sewage treatment.

What are methanogens? Give an example.

Mention the dual functions of LAB that are useful to man?

A farmer adds Azotobacter to the soil before sowing maize. How does it increase
the yield of maize?

Name any two gases produced during secondary treatment of Sewage?

Name the fungus used as a biocontrol of plant diseases.

Name the organism used in the dough for making bread.

Name any two free – living nitrogen fixing bacteria.

Expand LAB?

Name any two fungus which are used in production of antibiotics?

What is Biogas? How is it produced & Name the microbes invaded in Biogas
production.

Describe the procedure involved in Sewage treatment?

Why bottled fruit juices are appear clearer than home made ones?

How does small amount of curd added to fest milk convert it into curd?

What is VAM? How does it act as biofertiliser?

What are statins? Where are they produced from? How are they useful to man?

Name the first antibiotic manufactured & also name its source microorganism.

Name the first antibiotic manufactured & also name its source microorganism.

What are interferons?

What are interferons?

Give an example to prove that microbes release gases during metabolism?

Name the pests that lady bird & dragon flies help to get rid off respectively?

What is the medical use of cyclosporin A.

How do biofertilisers enrich the fertility of the soil?

Arrange the following in the decreasing order (most important first) of their importance, for the welfare of human society. Give reasons for your answer.

Biogas, Citric acid, Penicillin and Curd

Find out the role of microbes in the following and discuss it with your teacher.

(a) Single cell protein (SCP)

(b) Soil

Find out the name of the microbes from which Cyclosporin A (an immunosuppressive drug) and Statins (blood cholesterol lowering agents) are obtained.

Three water samples namely river water, untreated sewage water and secondary effluent discharged from a sewage treatment plant were subjected to BOD test. The samples were labelled A, B and C; but the laboratory attendant did not note which was which. The BOD values of the three samples A, B and C were recorded as 20mg/L, 8mg/L and 400mg/L, respectively. Which sample of the water is most polluted? Can you assign the correct label to each assuming the river water is relatively clean?

Microbes can be used to decrease the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Explain how this can be accomplished.

Do you think microbes can also be used as source of energy? If yes, how?

What is the key difference between primary and secondary sewage treatment?

What is sewage? In which way can sewage be harmful to us?

Name any two species of fungus, which are used in the production of the antibiotics.

In which way have microbes played a major role in controlling diseases caused by harmful bacteria?

Name some traditional Indian foods made of wheat, rice and Bengal gram (or their products) which involve use of microbes.

In which food would you find lactic acid bacteria? Mention some of their useful applications.

Give examples to prove that microbes release gases during metabolism.

Bacteria cannot be seen with the naked eyes, but these can be seen with the help of a microscope. If you have to carry a sample from your home to your biology laboratory to demonstrate the presence of microbes under a microscope, which sample would you carry and why?