Apart from the science books and children fiction books, there are only a handful of books introducing the world of microorganisms. The Hidden Beauty of the Microscopic World written by James Weiss would surely open your eyes of this amazing microscopic world. This book not only introduces the facts of microbes, but also tells the author’s life journey, connecting peoples, microorganisms and the world. It delivers the basic knowledge of microbiology, from the simplest but essential prokaryotes (cyanobacteria), to the unicellular eukaryotes such as diatoms and desmids, to the multicellular rotifers and arthropods. This book systematically introduces almost all the representing groups in microbiology.
“I was lost in life until I found myself in pond scum” is the author’s motto. The gross green scum is mostly formed by a group of filamentous algae called Spirogyra. The algae are around 50 microns in diameter, but they can be a couple of centimeters in length. The algae start growing at the bottom of shallow ponds. They produce oxygen gas through photosynthesis, and the bubbles get stuck between the growing tangled filaments of the algae, causing them to float to the surface of the water eventually. They form a layer of green scum, which provide food and shelter for numerous microorganisms. This is the green scum that inspires the author to study microorganisms, as well as to realize his meaning of life.
The most diverse group in unicellular eukaryotes and the kind that the author is most obsessed with is ciliates. As suggested by their name, ciliates, ciliates are possessed of numerous hair-like structures called “cilia” on their cell surface. Up to date, around 10,000 species of ciliates have been described, which is higher than the total number of bird species discovered in the world. Ciliates vary significantly in size, from a couple of microns to millimeters long. They have two notable characteristics. Firstly, they possess cilia on their cell surface for movement, feeding and sensation. Secondly, they have two nuclei, respectively named micronucleus and a macronucleus, in the same cell. The micronucleus is used in mating between two partners of the same species, while the macronucleus regulate cellular metabolism. Paramecium is the most frequently used example of ciliates in our biology text books.
Apart from Paramecium, Vorticella is also a very interesting ciliate. The tiny Vorticella was described by a Dutch pioneer microscope maker and fabric trader, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek in 1676 . Though he was not highly educated, he assembled a microscope with 350X magnification by self-learning. In addition, he is also the one who discovered bacteria, blood cells etc.
Vorticella is motile at its early stage. It forms a long stalk, gluing itself to the place where the cell is suitable to stay. This thread-like structure contracts very quickly if the organism is disturbed somehow, making this bell-shaped microbe one of the fastest moving organisms in proportion to its size. It’s like you going up three flights of stairs in 10 milliseconds while you take 100 milliseconds to blink!
Apart from its high contracting speed, the specialized cilia around Vorticella’s cell mouths can create water currents and bring food particles or prey into their mouths. If many Vorticella are attached to a mosquito larvae, the movement and breathing of the larvae will be restricted. The larvae may even get drowned. A study (Patil et al.,2016) shows that a Vorticella infection could reduce the emergence of adult mosquito by 90%, suggesting Vorticella could be used in mosquito biological control.
All the above interesting contents are only small parts of the book. You may find more attractive stories about round worm, hydra, rotifer and even water bear. It is highly recommended for you to read this book about microorganisms. You may review your life via author’s stories too!
Author: WONG Chi Chun (Biology Teacher)
