Floris van Breugel / A hot spring in the West Thumb Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. The colors are a result of thermophilic bacteria living in the hot springs. December 2010.

Dr. Axel Gebauer / Bacteria - iron and manganese oxidizers and their complementary reducers, in the mud of an empty fish pond, Upper Lusatia Heath and Pond Landscape, Upper Lusatia UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, Germany

Remi Masson / Bacterial biofilm and hydrogen sulfide on the bottom of the river Rhone. Alps, France, April.

Jeff Foott / Ephydrid fly on algae mat, hot spring eaten by the wolf spider in hot spring run off. Yellowstone National Park, USA, July.

Jeff Foott / Wolf Spider, (Lycosidae) in hot spring, on Bacterial mat, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA, June.

Jeff Foott / Wolf spider (Lycosidae) with captured fly on algae mat in hot springs run off, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA. September.

Jeff Foott / Wolf spider, (Lycosidae) in hot spring, on Bacterial mat, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA, September.

Adrian Davies / Coloured film on water surface caused by chemoautotrophic bacteria that oxidise iron and manganese ions in the water. Thursley National Nature Reserve, Thursley, Surrey, England, UK. June.

Will Watson / Natural oil released from dead Copepods under anoxic conditions on a back marsh, Upton Warren flash pool, Worcestershire, England, August 2017.

Will Watson / Natural oil released from dead Copepods under anoxic conditions on a back marsh, Upton Warren flash pool, Worcestershire, England, UK, August.

Will Watson / Anoxic mud with Cynobacteria and rivulets of black anoxic bacteria on the edge of Upton Warren saline flash pool, Worcestershire, England, UK, August.

Dr. Axel Gebauer / Iridescent bacteria on ice, Upper Lusatia Germany, December.

SINCLAIR STAMMERS / Tetrahymena feeding on bacteria

Connor Stefanison / Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA, January. The colours are from coloured cyanobacteria and algae that survive in the hot geothermal waters.

Paul D Stewart / Giant crystal formations of selenite hang in the crystal chamber of lechuguilla cave in New Mexico, USA. The caves have been found to be partly formed by the activities of extremophile bacteria that l...

Andres M. Dominguez / Tree frog (Hyla meridionalis) in water with Bacteria (Leptothryx discophora) causing iridescent sheen on water surface, and Portuguese oak leaf (Quercus faginea). Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park, so...

Doug Wechsler / Honey bees (Apis melifera) bumblebee (Bombus) and wasps around alcoholic flux, a stress related disease that causes foam like sap to bleed from wounds in the bark, Washington State Park, Pennsylvania,...

Doug Wechsler / 1526327 - - Honey bees (Apis melifera) bumblebees (Bombus) and Downy yellow jacket (Vespula flavopilosa) and Red admiral butterfly (Vanessa atalanta) around alcoholic flux, a stress related disease t...

Doug Wechsler / Bald-faced hornets (Dolichovespula maculata) around alcoholic flux, a stress related disease that causes foam like sap to bleed from wounds in the bark, Washington State Park, Pennsylvania, USA, July.

Jeff Vanuga / Thermophilic bacteria mats and Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA, September 2014.

Alex Hyde / Heathland pool, Surrey, UK. October. The multicoloured film results from chemoautotrophic bacteria that oxidise iron and manganese ions in the water, with the colours being caused by thin film interfe...

Gabriel Rojo / Salt lake, pink in colour due to bacteria (Dunaliella salina) Salinas Grandes de Hidalgo, La Pampa, Argentina

Gabriel Rojo / Salt lake, pink in colour due to bacteria (Dunaliella salina) Salinas Grandes de Hidalgo, La Pampa, Argentina

Adrian Davies / Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria) bloom on Slapton Ley, Devon, England. This bacteria produces toxins including Micocystin, July, 2014.

Adrian Davies / Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria) bloom on Slapton Ley, Devon, England. This bacteria produces toxins including Micocystin, July, 2014.

Adrian Davies / Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria) bloom on Slapton Ley, Devon, England. This bacteria produces toxins including Micocystin, July.

Adrian Davies / Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria) bloom on Slapton Ley, Devon, England. This bacteria produces toxins including Micocystin, July.

Floris van Breugel / Hotspring and surrounding bacteria, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA. September 2008.

Floris van Breugel / Turquoise Hotsprings at sunset, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA. September 2009.

Mark MacEwen / Colourful patterns formed by Cyano bacteria, Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA, July.

Dr. Axel Gebauer / Aerial view of Red deer (Cervus elaphus) walking through pond with Water caltrop (Trapa natans) and blue bacteria, surrounded by Reedbeds (Phragmites australis), Biosphere Reserve, Upper Lusatia, Pola...

Andres M. Dominguez / Dead Red underwing moth (Catocala nupta) floating in river with bacterial film on surface, Los Alcornocales Natural Park, Andalusia, Spain. August.

Will Watson / Aerobic decomposition with Halobacterium salinarum composed of Archaea, saline flash pool, Christopher Cadbury Wetland Reserve, Worcestershire, UK. September.

Will Watson / Aerobic decomposition with Halobacterium salinarum composed of Archaea, saline flash pool, Christopher Cadbury Wetland Reserve, Worcestershire, UK. September.

Will Watson / Aerobic decomposition with Halobacterium salinarum composed of Archaea, saline flash pool, Christopher Cadbury Wetland Reserve, Worcestershire, UK. September.

Jack Dykinga / Grand Prismatic Pool at sunset, creating steam, with terraces of bacteria mats and red algae, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA.

Konrad Wothe / Green mould growing on surface of jam in jar.

Nigel Cattlin / Nitrogen fixation nodules on roots of Lupin (Lupinus sp.) plant, effective in the fixation of gaseous nitogen with symbiotic rhizobium bacteria, Berkshire, UK. July.

Will Watson / Alder (Alnus glutinosa) root nodule containing nitrogen-fixing bacterium, close up, Herefordshire, England, UK. Focus stacked.

Alex Hyde / Soil bacteria cultured on nutrient agar from a soil sample collected in Via Gellia Woods, Derbyshire. Cultured at the University of Derby. Derbyshire. UK. March. 10mm across, x10 magnification when pr...

Alex Hyde / Soil bacteria cultured on nutrient agar from a soil sample collected in Via Gellia Woods, Derbyshire. Cultured at the University of Derby, Derbyshire, UK. March. 23mm across, x4 magnification when pri...

Alex Hyde / Soil bacteria and fungi cultured on nutrient agar, imaged under partial ultraviolet lighting showing fluorescence of a Pseudomonas sp. colony in a soil sample from Via Gella Woods, Derbyshire, UK. Mar...

Alex Hyde / Soil bacteria cultured on nutrient agar from a soil sample collected in Via Gellia Woods, Derbyshire. Cultured at the University of Derby, Derbyshire, UK. March. 9mm across, x11 magnification when pri...

Alex Hyde / Soil bacteria cultured on nutrient agar from a soil sample collected in Via Gellia Woods, Derbyshire. Image size in real life 10mm across. UK. March. 10mm across, x10 magnification when printed 10cm w...

Alex Hyde / Soil bacteria and fungi cultured on nutrient agar from a soil sample collected from Wigwell, Derbyshire. UK. March. 60mm across, x1.7 magnification when printed 10cm wide.

Alex Hyde / Soil bacteria and fungi cultured on nutrient agar from a soil sample collected in Via Gellia Woods, Derbyshire. Cultured at the University of Derby, Derbyshire, UK. March. Image size in real life 9mm...

Alex Hyde / Soil bacteria and fungi cultured on nutrient agar and viewed under ultraviolet light, showing fluorescence of Pseudomonas sp. colonies, from a soil sample collected in Via Gellia Woods, Derbyshire.UK....

Alex Hyde / Soil bacteria and fungi cultured on nutrient agar from a soil sample collected in Via Gellia Woods, Derbyshire, UK, March.

Alex Hyde / Soil bacteria and fungi cultured on nutrient agar from a soil sample collected at Wigwell, Derbyshire, UK. March.

Nigel Cattlin / Skin blemishes, warts and lesions caused by Common scab (Streptomyces) on the surface of Potato (Solanum tuberosum) tubers at harvest, Devon, UK.

Claudio Contreras / Bacterial bloom, Celestun Biosphere Reserve, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, May. Bookplate.

Nigel Cattlin / Ginger / Brown blotch (Pseudomonas tolaasii) bacterial disease marks on cap of cultivated mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus).

Nigel Cattlin / Cucurbit angular leaf spot (Pseudomonas syringae pv lachrymans) lesions of a bacterial disease on Squash (Cucurbita) leaves, Thailand, South East Asis.

Nigel Cattlin / Cucurbit angular leaf spot (Pseudomonas syringae pv lachrymans) lesions of a bacterial disease on Squash (Cucurbita) leaves, Thailand, South East Asis.

Jiri Lochman / Lake Clifton Thrombolites, Yalgorup National Park, Western Australia. December 2015

Jiri Lochman / Lake Clifton Thrombolites, Yalgorup National Park, Western Australia. December 2015

Jiri Lochman / Lake Clifton Thrombolites, Yalgorup National Park, Western Australia. December 2015

Andres M. Dominguez / Dead Lang's short-tailed blue butterfly (Leptotes pirithous) in a river with bacterial film, Los Alcornocales Natural Park, Southern Spain, September.

Andres M. Dominguez / Dead Lang's short-tailed blue butterfly (Leptotes pirithous) in a river with bacterial film, Los Alcornocales Natural Park, Southern Spain, September.

Andres M. Dominguez / Mosquito laying eggs in a river with Bacteria (Leptothrix sp.) Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park, Cadiz, Spain. October.