Bacteria+-+ZK

=Introduction= A cool fact about bacteria is that we have bacteria in our body. Did you know that bacteria is in our stomach? The bacteria in our stomach can produce food. However some people think that bad bacteria are not bad. The bad bacteria is bad for you because you can get really sick. toc The good bacteria is good because when a oil spills it picks up the oil that had spill in the land. The bad bacteria can get you badly sick that you would not even won't to go to work because you would not even want to go anywhere you get very sick. The bacteria that is our body is good but sometimes the bacteria in our body you can get sick. Finally all the bacteria can be good and bad for people but the good bacteria is good and the bad bacteria is not good for people and you get sick. =What is Bacteria ?=

The shape of a bacteria cell is very interesting because to me it looks like a bug with a lot of legs. A bacteria cell is different from an animal or plant cell because they have no nucleus. The **DNA** in their cells is located in a nuclear area. **DNA** is the material that tells us all the traits we will inherit such as our eye color and hair color. In the diagram you can see that this nuclear area looks like a tangled string and it is located in the cytoplasm. Like plant cells, most bacterial cells are surrounded by a stiff cell wall that protects the cell. They also have a cell membrane which controls which materials pass into and out of the cell. Unlike plant and animal cells most bacteria cells also have a special part called a **flagellum,** which is a structure that helps them move from one place to another. It helps to steer the bacteria like a propeller helps steer a boat.

Bacteria come in three different shapes. They can be round (**spherical**), spiral, or rod.

Bacteria come in different sizes, but they are all very small. The biggest bacteria is about the size of a dot in the letter i. Most other bacteria are only .5 to 1 micrometer in diameter, which is one millionth of a meter!



=How Bacteria Eat=

There are many ways cells get their nutrients. If a cell is **autotrophic** it makes its own food. A autotrophic bacteria gets nutrients from the sunlight like the plants. They capture and use the sun’s energy as plants do. Some bacteria cells are **heterotrophs** and can’t make their own food. Instead heterotroph bacteria's must eat other organisms or other organisms’ foods. Bacteria must have a source of food and a way of breaking down the food to release its energy.

= = =How Bacteria Reproduce=

Bacteria reproduces by a process called **binary fission**, which is when one cell divides to form two identical cells. Binary fission is a process that requires only one parent. The offspring that is produced is exactly the same as the parent. During binary fission a cell first makes a copy of its genetic material or (**DNA**), and then divides it into two more cells. When conditions are perfect, bacteria cells reproduce often. They need to have plenty of food and the right temperature. For example, some bacteria can reproduce once every 20 minutes. However each new cell gets its own complete copy of the parent cell’s genetic material.

=Good or Bad=

There are many good things that bacteria does for us. B acteria helps make oxygen that we breathe and food that we eat, such as cheese. It changes apple cider into vinegar. Bacteria recycles things and helps to clean up the environment just like we do. Bacteria cleans up the water and land by eating the chemicals left behind after an oil spill. Bacteria is used to produce some medicines that we need when we are sick. But, bacteria also is the reason we get sick, so that's the bad thing about bacteria. Did you ever have a strep throat? Well, that was because the bacteria got into your body and made you sick.

= = =Conclusion= A bacteria has interesting parts like a flagella. A flagellum is a structure that helps them move from one place to another. It helps to steer the bacteria like a propeller helps steer a boat. Most bacteria that do not have flagella cannot move on their own. Some people think bacteria is bad for us but it is really good for us in many ways. Don't judge bacteria cells by its cover because it's good for you in many ways.

=References=

Works Cited “Bacteria.” Mc Graw Hill Educaton. Mc Graw-Hill Education., n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2014. . Bacteria: Friends or Enemies? Peter Matulavich Productions, 2002. Full Video.Discovery Education. Web. 19 December 2014. . “Bacterial Cell Interactive Animation.” CELLS alive. Quill Graphics, 2014. Web. 18 Dec. 2014. . Padilla, Michael J. Prentice Hall Science Explorer. Teacher’s ed. Needham: Pearson Prentice Hall,, 2005. Print. - - -. Prentice Hall Science Explorer. Teacher’s ed. Needham: Pearson Prentice Hall,, 2005. Print.

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