Ecomare

In general micro-organisms, or microbes, are organisms which are invisible to the naked eye. You need a microscope in order to see them. Bacteria, protists, viruses, fungi, one-celled algae and microscopically small animals have little in common with each other. However, no matter how small they are, these microbes play a tremendous role on earth. They have the greatest producers of oxygen in the air and sea. They are the most important scavegers in nature, decomposing dead plants and animals so that they become new building materials. To make life difficult, there are some bacteria and protists that are so large that you don't need a microscope to see them. The largest bacterium known, up to 0.75 mm, was found in 1997 in coastal sediment in Walvis Bay, Namibia.