Microbiomes of the Human Body

The human body contains many different microscopic ecosystems known as microbiomes. These microbiomes are much like forest or marine ecosystems in that they contain a variety of species each fulfilling an ecological niche. The types of ecosystems found on a particular person vary by site on/in the body (Grice, 2009). Like organisms in any ecosystem the microbes that inhabit the human body require certain environments, and have different affects on the area in which they live in.

There is a direct connection between a person's health and the types of bacterial species that call the person's body home. Evidence for this is the research that has been done on the species of bacteria that inhibit a person's gut. It has been found that different species of bacteria living in a person's gut have an affect on the person's body weight. In an experiment done by scientist Ruth Ley, people who were overweight had high populations of a bacterial group known as Bacteroidetes and low populations of the group known as Firmicutes. As these subjects lost weight the population of Firmicutes increased and the Bacteroidete population decreased (Pennisi, 2009). This suggests that these bacterial species each played a part in determining a person's weight. This relationship shows how bacterial species and the site of the body that they call home both affect each other.

This relationship exists on the skin as well. Different areas of the skin are unique from one another in that they are characterized by different environmental factors such as moisture content. Each environmentally unique area of the skin is inhabited by different types of microscopic organisms. It is common for certain skin disorders to exist on specific areas of the skin because these areas are suitable for the survival of the bacterial organisms that are responsible for these disorders (Grice, 2009). A person's hygiene plays a big part in sustaining these environments. Often someone with good hygiene will be less likely to have skin disorders because they destroy microbiomes that are responsible for skin disorders.

Diet and hygienic practices are two aspects of a person's lifestyle that contribute to the types of microbiomes that are part of the human body. The variety of microbiomes from person to person is a reason why everyone is unique in regards to personal health and wellness.

Works Cited

Grice, EA. Et al., 2009. Topographical and Temporal Diversity of the Human Skin Microbiome. Science, 324: 1190-1192.

Pennisi, E. 2009. Gut reactions. Science, 324: 1136-1137.