Microbes in Human Welfare BIOLOGY - Microbes in Human Welfare

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

Give examples to prove that microbes release gases during metabolism.

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

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

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

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

How do biofertilisers enrich the fertility of the soil?

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

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?

Secondary treatment of the sewage is also called Biological treatment. Justify this statement and explain the process.

Read the following and answer any four questions from (i) to (v) given below:

Saurin, a M.Sc student, get an assignment on sewage treatment plant (STP) to study the microbial load. After visiting such plant in his locality, he makes a simplified diagram of the STP for his project. Study the diagram given below and answer the following questions.

1. In the diagram 'A' denotes:

1. Aeration tank.
2. Primary settling tank.
3. Secondary settling tank.
4. Sludge digester.

2. Which of the following is incorrect regarding the sludge released from A?

1. It is formed after primary treatment.
2. It does not require aeration.
3. It possesses floes of decomposer microbes.
4. It is used in landfills.

3. A large number of aerobic heterotrophic microbes grow in:

1. A
2. B
3. C
4. Both (a) and (b).

4. What is denoted by 'D' in the given diagram?

1. Primary sludge.
2. Primary effluent.
3. Activated sludge.
4. Secondary effluent.

5. Assertion: The colloided and finely suspended matter of sewage form aggregates which are called floes.

Reason: Floes contain masses of bacteria, slime and fungal filaments.

1. Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
2. Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
3. Assertion is true but reason is false.
4. Both assertion and reason are false.

Read the following and answer any four questions from (i) to (v) given below:
Enzymes are best known for their ability to catalise biochemical reactions without undergoing any change. A large number of enzymes are being used in biotechnological industry. Most of them are obtained from microbes. Proteases degrade proteins and polypeptides. Most of the commercially applicable proteases are alkaline and are biosynthesised mainly by bacteria such as Pseudomonas, Bacillus and some fungi like, Aspergillus. These enzymes are used in clearing beer, softening of bread and meat, degumming of silk, etc. Alkaline serine proteases have the largest applications in bio-industry. Alkaline proteases have shown their capability to work under high pH, temperature and in presence of inhibitory compounds. Another important group of enzymes is amylases. Amylolytic enzymes act on starch. These are obtained from Aspergillus, Rhizopus and Bacillus sp. These are used in softening and sweetening of bread, production of alcoholic beverages from starchy materials, clearing of turbidity in juices caused by starch, etc.

1. Polypeptides are degraded by:

1. Amylases.
2. Proteases.
3. Pectinases.
4. Lipases.

2. Amylolytic enzymes are not obtained from:

1. Aspergillus.
2. Aspergillus.
3. Mucor.
4. Bacillus.

3. Clearing of turbidity in juices caused by starch is achieved by:

1. Amylases.
2. Proteases.
3. Rennet.
4. Both (a) and (b).

4. Select the incorrect option from the following.

1. Enzymes are proteinaceous substances.
2. Enzymes are substrate specific.
3. Enzymes are large sized molecules.
4. Microbial enzymes can work only in normal temperature and pH.

5. A farmer harvests corns and prepares corn starch. He wants to prepare some corn syrup from this. for the conversion he needs to use enzyme ______.

1. Amylase.
2. Glucoamylases.
3. Glucoisomerases.
4. All of these.

Read the following and answer any four questions from (i) to (v) given below:
Green manuring is the fanning practice where a leguminous plant which has derived enough benefits from its association with appropriate species of Rhizobium, is ploughed into the field soil and then a non-legume is sown and allowed to get benefitted from the already present nitrogen fixer. Some legumes, such as, Crotolaria juncea, Sesbania rostrata, Lencaena leucocephala, etc. are used as green manure. Rhizobia, that fix atmospheric nitrogen in the form of nitrate, live in the roots ofleguminous plants. These nutrients are used by non-leguminous plants through the practice of green manuring.

1. Green manures mainly provide nutrient enriched in:

1. Magnesium.
2. Sulphur.
3. Nitrogen.
4. Both (a) and (b).

2. Which of the following plants is used as green manure in crop fields?

1. Saccharum.
2. Dichanthium.
3. Phyllonthus.
4. Crotolaria.

3. Green manure plants belong to the Family:

1. Lamiaceae.
2. Papilionaceae.
3. Liliaceae.
4. Poaceae.

4. Due to excess use of chemical fertilisers rich in nitrate, ________ disease occurred in children.

1. Jaundice.
2. Septicemia.
3. Methemoglobinemia.
4. Botulism.

5.  A green manure is:

1. Rice.
2. Maize.
3. Sorghum.
4. Sesbania.

Read the following and answer any four questions from (i) to (v) given below:
Disposal of untreated sewage into the river or freshwater pond causes huge water pollution. Four water samples from different sources (A, B, C, D) are collected and tested for BOD value in a lab to assess their quality. The BOD values are presented in the given table. Water samples are collected from primary effluent, secondary effluent, untreated sewage and river water. Study the given table and answer the following.

Sample	BOD
A	20mg/ L
B	5mg/ L
C	300mg/ L
D	400mg/ L

1. The source of sample 'C' is:

1. River water.
2. Primary effluent.
3. Secondary effluent.
4. Untreated sewage water.

2. If sewage in untreated condition is disposed off in a freshwater body then.

1. BOD and dissolved oxygen both will increase.
2. BOD will increase and dissolved oxygen will decreas.
3. BOD will decrease and dissolved oxygen will increase.
4. BOD and dissolved oxygen both will decrease.

3. A large number of pathogenic microbes can be present in water sample of:

1. C
2. A
3. D
4. Both (a) and (c).

4. High value of BOD in sample O is due to:

1. High amount of organic wastes and aerobic microbes.
2. High amount of inorganic wastes and anaerobic microbes.
3. High amount of organic wastes and anaerobic microbes.
4. High amount of inorganic wastes and aerobic microbes.

5. River water is represented by the sample.

1. A
2. B
3. C
4. D

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

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

Mention the role of cyanobacteria as a biofertiliser.

Mention the information that the health workers derive by measuring BOD of a water body.

Which one of the following is the baker’s yeast used in fermentation?

Saccharum barberi Saccharomyces cerevisiae Sonalika.

Which of the following act as a biofertilizers?

Which bacteria is used as biopesticide first on the commercial scale in the world?

Which term refers to the tiniest organisms that can only be seen through a microscope?

Wastewater treatment generates a large quantity of sludge, which can be treated by:

Which gas is produced during anaerobic fermentation of agricultural wastes?

Two statements are given-one labelled Assertion and the other labelled Reason. Select the correct answer to these questions from the codes (a), (b), (c) and (d) as given below.

1. Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
2. Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
3. Assertion is true but reason is false.
4. Both assertion and reason are false.

Assertion: An organism which acts as herbicide is called bioherbicide.
Reason: Phytophthora palmivora is a mycoherbicide.

Two statements are given-one labelled Assertion and the other labelled Reason. Select the correct answer to these questions from the codes (a), (b), (c) and (d) as given below.

1. Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
2. Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
3. Assertion is true but reason is false.
4. Both assertion and reason are false.

Assertion: The alcoholic content of fortified wines are high.
Reason: The fermentation is stopped before all the sugars are being converted.

Two statements are given-one labelled Assertion and the other labelled Reason. Select the correct answer to these questions from the codes (a), (b), (c) and (d) as given below.

1. Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
2. Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
3. Assertion is true but reason is false.
4. Both assertion and reason are false.

Assertion: Azolla is used as a biofertiliser in rice fields.
Reason: Azolla shows the presence of N₂ - fixing bacteria in its leaf cavities.

Two statements are given-one labelled Assertion and the other labelled Reason. Select the correct answer to these questions from the codes (a), (b), (c) and (d) as given below.

1. Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
2. Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
3. Assertion is true but reason is false.
4. Both assertion and reason are false.

Assertion: Immobilised yeasts cause less fermentation.
Reason: Brewer's yeast produces beer not wine.

Two statements are given-one labelled Assertion and the other labelled Reason. Select the correct answer to these questions from the codes (a), (b), (c) and (d) as given below.

1. Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
2. Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
3. Assertion is true but reason is false.
4. Both assertion and reason are false.

Assertion: Azotobacter fixes nitrogen in symbiotic form.
Reason: Azotobacter form root nodules in the roots of leguminous plants.

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

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

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

In what way anaerobic sludge diagestion is important in sewage treatments?

Discuss the role of microbes as biofertilisers in detail.