Editing Microbial ecology (section)

{{Short description|Study of the relationship of microorganisms with their environment}}
{{Redirect|Environmental microbiology|the journal|Environmental Microbiology}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}
[[File:Great-plate-count-anomaly.svg|thumb|upright=1.3|The great plate count anomaly. Counts of cells obtained via cultivation are orders of magnitude lower than those directly observed under the microscope. This is because microbiologists are able to cultivate only a minority of naturally occurring microbes using current laboratory techniques, depending on the environment.<ref name="hugenholz2002" />]]
'''Microbial ecology''' (or '''environmental microbiology''') is a discipline where the interaction of [[Microorganism|microorganisms]] and their environment are studied.<ref name=":02">{{Citation |last=Gray |first=N. D. |title=Microbial Ecology |date=2008-01-01 |work=Encyclopedia of Ecology |pages=2357–2368 |editor-last=Jørgensen |editor-first=Sven Erik |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B978008045405400519X |access-date=2025-04-01 |place=Oxford |publisher=Academic Press |isbn=978-0-08-045405-4 |last2=Head |first2=I. M. |editor2-last=Fath |editor2-first=Brian D.}}</ref> Microorganisms are known to have important and harmful ecological relationships within their species and other species.<ref name=":02" /> Many scientists have studied the relationship between nature and microorganisms: [[Martinus Beijerinck]], [[Sergei Winogradsky]], [[Louis Pasteur]], [[Robert Koch]], [[Lorenz Hiltner]], [[Dionicia Gamboa]] and many more;<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kolter |first=Roberto |date=2021-10-08 |title=The History of Microbiology—A Personal Interpretation |url=https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-micro-033020-020648 |journal=Annual Review of Microbiology |language=en |volume=75 |issue=1 |pages=1–17 |doi=10.1146/annurev-micro-033020-020648 |pmid=33974804 |issn=0066-4227|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite journal |last1=Hartmann |first1=Anton |last2=Rothballer |first2=Michael |last3=Schmid |first3=Michael |date=2008-11-01 |title=Lorenz Hiltner, a pioneer in rhizosphere microbial ecology and soil bacteriology research |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11104-007-9514-z |journal=Plant and Soil |language=en |volume=312 |issue=1 |pages=7–14 |doi=10.1007/s11104-007-9514-z |bibcode=2008PlSoi.312....7H |issn=1573-5036|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Céline |first=Valadeau |last2=Adriana |first2=Pabon |last3=Eric |first3=Deharo |last4=Joaquina |first4=Albán–Castillo |last5=Yannick |first5=Estevez |last6=Augusto |first6=Lores Fransis |last7=Rosario |first7=Rojas |last8=Dionicia |first8=Gamboa |last9=Michel |first9=Sauvain |last10=Denis |first10=Castillo |last11=Geneviève |first11=Bourdy |date=2009-06-25 |title=Medicinal plants from the Yanesha (Peru): Evaluation of the leishmanicidal and antimalarial activity of selected extracts |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0378874109001895 |journal=Journal of Ethnopharmacology |volume=123 |issue=3 |pages=413–422 |doi=10.1016/j.jep.2009.03.041 |issn=0378-8741|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name=":04" /> to understand the specific roles that these microorganisms have in biological and chemical pathways and how microorganisms have evolved. Currently, there are several types of biotechnologies that have allowed scientists to analyze the biological/chemical properties of these microorganisms also.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Flavier |first=Albert B. |last2=Balan |first2=Venkatesh |last3=Khan |first3=Abdul Latif |title=– Microbial Biotechnology: Fundamentals and Applications |url=https://uhlibraries.pressbooks.pub/microbialbiotech/chapter/200/ |journal=Microbial Biotechnology: Fundamentals and Applications |language=en}}</ref>

Many of these microorganisms have been known to form different [[symbiotic relationship]]s with other [[organism|organisms]] in their environment.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Glaeser |first1=Jens |last2=Overmann |first2=Jörg |date=August 2004 |title=Biogeography, Evolution, and Diversity of Epibionts in Phototrophic Consortia |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/aem.70.8.4821-4830.2004 |journal=Applied and Environmental Microbiology |volume=70 |issue=8 |pages=4821–4830 |bibcode=2004ApEnM..70.4821G |doi=10.1128/aem.70.8.4821-4830.2004 |issn=0099-2240 |pmc=492462 |pmid=15294820}}</ref> Some symbiotic relationships include [[Mutualism (biology)|mutualism]], [[commensalism]], [[Amensalism|amenalism]], and [[parasitism]].<ref name=":5" /><ref name="annualreviews.org">{{Cite journal |last1=Mathis |first1=Kaitlyn A. |last2=Bronstein |first2=Judith L. |date=2020-11-02 |title=Our Current Understanding of Commensalism |url=https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-011720-040844 |journal=Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics |language=en |volume=51 |issue=1 |pages=167–189 |doi=10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-011720-040844 |issn=1543-592X}}</ref> 

In addition, it has been discovered that certain substances in the environment can kill microorganisms, thus preventing them from interacting with their environment. These substances are called [[antimicrobial]] substances. These can be [[antibiotic]], [[antifungal]], or [[Antiviral drug|antiviral]].<ref name=":7" />