Ear

Description of Niche

The Human Ear: The human ear is comprised of 3 main parts: outer, middle, and inner. The outer ear consists of the pinna, which is the visible part of the ear, and the auditory ear canal to the tympanic membrane(ear drum). The membrane separates the outer ear from the middle ear which is an air-filled space that is connected to the nasopharynx via the eustachian tube. The middle ear consists of the malleus, incus, and stapes. These three tiny bones carry sound from the ear drum to the inner ear. The inner ear (aka the bony labyrinth) is comprised of the cochlea and the vestibular apparatus. The cochlea

Physical Conditions?

The environment of the pinna is similar to that of the skin. Closer to the ear canal the skin develops a thin lining of ear wax.

Influence by Adjacent Communities (if any)

Is your niche close to another niche or influenced by another community of organisms?

Conditions under which the environment changes

Do any of the physical conditions change? Are there chemicals, other organisms, nutrients, etc. that might change the community of your niche.

Who lives there?

Which microbes are present?

You may refer to organisms by genus or by genus and species, depending upon how detailed the your information might be. If there is already a microbewiki page describing that organism, make a link to it.

Do the microbes that are present interact with each other?

Describe any negative (competition) or positive (symbiosis) behavior

Do the microbes change their environment?

Do they alter pH, attach to surfaces, secrete anything, etc. etc.

Do the microbes carry out any metabolism that affects their environment?

Do they ferment sugars to produce acid, break down large molecules, fix nitrogen, etc. etc.