| Abstract: | This virtual zoo is part of the Digital Learning Center for Microbial Ecology (DLC-ME), a science education project developed at Michigan State University. Its main attractions are: The snack bar, which explains how many foods are produced with the help of microbes, and includes information on yeast and lactobacillus; Water World, which includes a pond (with algae, cyanobacteria, anoxygenic photosynthetic bacteria, heterotrophs, sulfate reducers, and methanogens) and deep sea thermal vents (with riftia and tube worm symbionts); Animal Pavilion, which explains the microbes that live on humans, cows, termites, and dung; Dirtland, which includes sections on microbes in compost and toxic waste sites; and Space Adventure, which discusses the possibility of microbes on Mars and in future space missions. |