HOW PLANTS EXPRESS DISABILITY AND LAMENESS!
HOW PLANTS EXPRESS DISABILITY AND LAMENESS.(Part 4). It is appropriate to remember that whether a plant is disable or lame by virtue of its inability to solidify itself in soil and so feed itself and others does not mean that it has less or nothing to contribute to nature. At least, that plants have the green matter, that is chlorophyll to absorb, utilize and maximize solar energy so that there is no wastage. It is an epitome of optimization. Nature is clothed with utility, aesthetics or beauty and mysteries for which the green plant is a custodian.On the one hand,the friendship that binds the parasitic plant and the host, tells about the unity of purpose of the source of nature. Nevertheless, it seems obvious that even if we intend to ignore the hidden truth about why and how we just meet these things,what we cannot forget is the fact that when we hear that some fraction of the world population is killed by massive trees falling on them. Again that the remainder of the world population is and will be killed by " invisible trees from within". What does that mean? It means that the external things that threaten our existence is comparatively less than the threat from within us. "The invisible tress' are themselves plants which are so numerous and of their own family types, non-green, stemless,rootless, and sometimes branch-less too. They are ordinarily like the seeds of trees,but are actually not. What then are they? They are microscopic (micro-organisms) that are seemingly non spectacular due to our inability to see them by our ordinary eyes.They are there in the soil, air and everywhere (ubiquitous). Some species,because they live in the soil and water (phototrophs) may contain pigments (substance that gives a plant or animal color)and so can obtain their own energy from the sun and so make their own food...In the course of our discussion we will limit it to pathogenic organisms (organisms capable of causing diseases to humans or animals).These pathogenic organism include: bacteria, fungi, viruses, rickettsiae and chlamydia. Bacteria are generally unicellular( i.e., single cell) and may exist as ovoid or spherical, i.e., cocci, or the rod or cylindrical i.e bacillus, the curved or vibrio, the spiral shaped spirillum, and coiled shaped, spirochaets. They give birth by just dividing themselves into many others, so nothing like scarcity or abundance of males or females. The other group is the fungi, which have no chlorophyll and so incapable of producing food for itself and others. They are also parasites.They grow either as single cells e.g yeast, or as colonies (community of plants or animals of same specie or type living together) or multi cellular (many cells) filaments (threadlike) or hyphae, commonly known as moulds or" mucour". They reproduce or give birth by forming spores. Some species cause disease in man and animals. For example, a type of yeast causes Candidas albicans in women, and another type, Mycrosporum canis cause ringworm. There is also the Viruses, which live entirely as parasites inside living cells in our bodies and multiply or give birth inside our bodies. Besides, they contain in their body either a Ribonucleic acid (RNA) or a Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), but not both. There are also, the Rickettsiae, which are smaller than bacteria but seemingly bigger than Viruses.They therefore, resemble bacteria and viruses at the same time. They are like bacteria since they contain both DNA and RNA, and they also posses metabolic enzymes and reproduce by binary fission (just dividing itself into many others). They also resemble Viruses by being able to reproduce or multiply inside the living cells. And yet the other group of these pathogenic micro-organisms is the Chlamydia. Chlamydia resemble both bacteria and Rickettsiae. They are like bacteria in that they contain both DNA and RNA, and also a substance called muramic acid in their cell wall.On the other hand, they are however, intra cellular (inside cell) parasites about two times the size of Rickettsiae, but unlike Rickettsiae, they are sensitive to interferon ( a protein released by human and animal cells or bodies that prevent viruses from multiplying inside them). As is said before, some bacteria found in water and soils, obtain energy from sunlight by means of pigments (coloring substances), and are called, phototrophs. Other bacteria obtain energy for growth from the oxidation of inorganic compounds, or from the oxidation, or fermentation of organic compounds. This is the possible group that all bacteria of medical importance fall into.Otherwise, even the extreme ones, which they are paratrophs or sparasitic or parasites, obtain their energy from the metabolism of the host cell or body, and include viruses, maybe Rickettsiae as well. Basically, the properties and processes of life are the same for all living things-whatever their size or whether they are plants or animals. For an organism to survive, it must be able to sense the changes in its environment. It must also be able to feed and respire, and as well reproduce or give birth. It is this feeding and surviviing method that put us at risk from the so called "invisible trees from within". Humans with all his wisdom and intellect are incapable of taming these invisible trees from within...Next..the lesson behind all these. to be continued..
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