Microorganisms & Biotechnology (OCR A Level Biology)

• Biotechnology harnesses the processes in living organisms to
  • produce useful products, such as foods and medicines
  • carry out useful services, such as sewage treatment, composting and bioremediation
• Microorganisms are the most useful group of organisms that carry out biotechnological processes because they
  • Have simple growth requirements
    • Their food is cheap and readily available
    • They occupy very little space
  • Reproduce quickly and have short life cycles
  • Do not have non-productive tissues and organs
  • Can be grown on an industrial scale to perform duties useful to large numbers of the human population
• Because of this, there are many economic advantages gained from using microorganisms in biotechnology

Emerging uses of biotechnology

• Research on biotechnology has identified possible roles in these emerging processes
  • Production of biofuels (to replace the use of fossil fuels)
  • Production of vaccines and antibodies for the treatment of disease
  • Production of hardy crop plants that can grow in arid conditions
  • Counteracting threats from bioterrorism or bio-warfare