Flora (microbiology)
Encyclopedia
In microbiology
, flora (plural
: floras or floræ) refers to the collective bacteria
and other microorganism
s in an ecosystem
(usually in human and animal
hosts or in a single part of its body
). While the term microflora is widely used, it is technically a misnomer since the word root flora pertains to the kingdom plantae. Some textbooks now use the term microbiota.
Microbiology
Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are defined as any microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters or no cell at all . This includes eukaryotes, such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes...
, flora (plural
Plural
In linguistics, plurality or [a] plural is a concept of quantity representing a value of more-than-one. Typically applied to nouns, a plural word or marker is used to distinguish a value other than the default quantity of a noun, which is typically one...
: floras or floræ) refers to the collective bacteria
Bacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
and other microorganism
Microorganism
A microorganism or microbe is a microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters, or no cell at all...
s in an ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
(usually in human and animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
hosts or in a single part of its body
Body
With regard to living things, a body is the physical body of an individual. "Body" often is used in connection with appearance, health issues and death...
). While the term microflora is widely used, it is technically a misnomer since the word root flora pertains to the kingdom plantae. Some textbooks now use the term microbiota.
See also
- EcologyEcologyEcology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
- Human flora
- Flora (plants)
- Gut floraGut floraGut flora consists of microorganisms that live in the digestive tracts of animals and is the largest reservoir of human flora. In this context, gut is synonymous with intestinal, and flora with microbiota and microflora....
- Exogenous bacteriaExogenous bacteriaExogenous bacteria are bacteria introduced to closed biological systems from the external world. They exist in water, earth, and the air. Examples are cholera, Legionella, salmonella, rickettsia, mycobacterium, and bacillus anthracis. Endogenous bacteria are part of our normal internal flora....
- List of human flora