What role does gut flora play and how does it work?

Gut flora is an example of good bacteria within our bodies that we need to survive. The average human has around 1.5kg of glut flora in there gastro-intenstinal tract. The gastrointenstinal tract (GIT) consists of all the compartments that digest our food, it begins from the stomach and ends at the other end. Its job is to protect our bodies from harmful bacteria that may have entered our systems e.g. uncooked meat. Our gut flora acts as a competitor for any invading bacteria. For survival, both types of bacteria need nutrients and space to grow and because our own gut bacteria is in such large quantities they consume all the nutrients leaving very little for any invading bacteria. Because there is so much of them, there is very little space left in our GIT and so the bad bacteria doesn't have any space to grow. Gut flora is an example of mutualism, this is where two species co-exist together and they both benefit from this relationship. In this example, the gut flora are provided with nutrients and humans benefit as food is digested.