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The World of Life: Plants
one bacteria could give rise to about 250,000 bacteria within six hours. This explains why the entrance of relatively, few pathegenic bacteria into a human being can quickly result in disease symptoms. Fortunately for all other forms of life, bacteria cannot reproduce at this rate for a very long time, for they soon are checked by a lack of food, or by the accumulation of waste products."25
Bacterial Metabolism
Like other organisms bacteria have a host of enzymes that mediate and regulate their metabolic processes. A few bacteria are autotrophic26 - they can synthesize their needed organic compounds from simple inorganic substances present in the environment, through their pores.27 Most bacteria are either saprophytes, 28 getting their food from the dead bodies of plants or animals or parasites (anusuga) living in or on the living body of a plant or animal.29
Other Micro-organisms (Nigodas)
Much smaller than bacteria (earth quadrates and plant-bacteria) are other forms called Nigodas 30 (micro-organisms viruses). There are two kinds of Nigodas, viz. Nigodaka and Nigodajiva31 (Nitya Nigodas and Itara Nigodas - fine and gross).32 They may be identified with bacteriophages and rickettsias. With the exception of the last, these are too small to be seen with ordinary microscopes and can be photographed only.33 These Nigodas can be classified as plant according to Jaina view; their status in the world of living things is clear. But these forms exhibit some, but not all of the usual characteristics of living things,34 25. Biology, p. 135.
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26. Autotrophs are self-nourishing, e.g. photosynthetic green plants and chemosynthetic, iron bacteria which oxidize ferrous to ferric iron.
27. "Lomāhārā egimdiya", Brhatsaṁgrahaņi, v. 200, p. 81.; " Sarireṇoyāhāro, tayā ya phase ya lomāhārā ", Ibid., v. 117, p. 124.
28. They absorb their required organic nutrients directly through the cell membrane. 29. Sūtrakṛtānga, II. 3,58; "Ihegatiya sattā...... ṇāṇāvibāņam tasathavaraṇam poggalanam sarire su va, sacittesu vã, acittesu va, aņusuvattae viuttamti /"; Te jiva tesim ṇāṇāvihāṇam tasathavaräṇam päṇāṇam sinetramahäremti /" etc. 30. Bhagavati Sūtra, 25.5.749; Pannavana Sutta, 1.55.102; Lokaprakasa Sutta, I. 4th Sarga, 32ff.; Nigoda Sattrimśikā; Gommaṭasara (Jivakāṇḍa) 73.
31.
"Duviha niudā paņṇatra, tamjaha-niuyaga ya niuyajiva ya ", Bhagavati Sūtra, 25.5.749.
32.
"Suhūmaniuda ya Väḍaraniuda ya /", Ibid.
33. Biology, p. 138.
34. See the second section of the 1st chapter.
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