Nature, which governs the whole, will soon change all things which thou seest, and out of their substance will make other things and again other things from the substance of them, in order that the world may be ever new. Marcus Aurdius.
As representative of the diverse types of colorless plants which, lacking chlorophyll or a functionally similar pigment, are without the power of photosynthesis, we select the vast group known as the Bacteria.
For reasons that will appear later, it is not practical to focus attention on one particular species of Bacteria, as we have just done in considering green plants and animals. Instead we shall discuss in very general terms the group as a whole, referring now and then to special kinds of Bacteria to illustrate particular points.
