How might some types of bacteria be helpful to the environmet?
Answer Hi Karlee There are many types of bacteria that are helpful to the environment. “Nitrogen fixing bacteria” are bacteria that take nitrogen from the air into ammonia (or ammonium ions). The nitrogen that exists in the air as in cannot be used by plants, while the ammonia (or more correctly, ammonium ions), are needed to help the plants survive. Other bacteria help dead plants to decompose (break down) and turn into wonderfully nutrient rich soil / compost. There are also many species of bacteria living in our bodies – bacteria in our intestines help break food down, prevent other more harmful bacteria from living in our bodies, and much more.
