briannareitsch
ecophoto 1
This photo was taken at Sunday’s cafe on Wrightsville beach on January 19th. The photo highlights the commonly overlooked community of organisms, the microbes living on our hands. These bacteria are easily transferred from our hands to phone screens, iPad, computers, ect. The microbes on the human hand are vastly different as well as abundant but the most common bacteria on the epidermis is Staphylococcus epidermis, so I am basing my assessment of the ecological concept on this specific organism. The concept I see most beneficial is the symbiotic relationship between Staphylococcus epidermis and the human hand. A mutualistic relationship is evident because this interaction is essential to promoting good human health. The bacteria on our hands are the humans first line of defense against illness and injury which benefits the human in the relationship and the bacteria benefit by getting a place to live on the human hand while obtaining energy from consuming incoming pathogens. Without this symbiotic relationship pathogens would be detrimental to human health and therefore make us more susceptible to infection and disease.
Sources:
newsinhealth.nih.gov/2012/11/your-microbes-you
ecophoto 1
This photo was taken at Sunday’s cafe on Wrightsville beach on January 19th. The photo highlights the commonly overlooked community of organisms, the microbes living on our hands. These bacteria are easily transferred from our hands to phone screens, iPad, computers, ect. The microbes on the human hand are vastly different as well as abundant but the most common bacteria on the epidermis is Staphylococcus epidermis, so I am basing my assessment of the ecological concept on this specific organism. The concept I see most beneficial is the symbiotic relationship between Staphylococcus epidermis and the human hand. A mutualistic relationship is evident because this interaction is essential to promoting good human health. The bacteria on our hands are the humans first line of defense against illness and injury which benefits the human in the relationship and the bacteria benefit by getting a place to live on the human hand while obtaining energy from consuming incoming pathogens. Without this symbiotic relationship pathogens would be detrimental to human health and therefore make us more susceptible to infection and disease.
Sources:
newsinhealth.nih.gov/2012/11/your-microbes-you