Microorganisms and Microbiology Flashcards

1
Q

Microbiology revolves around two themes:

A
  1. Understanding basic life processes
  2. Applying that knowledge to the benefit of humans
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2
Q

The importance of microorganisms

A
  • Oldest form of life
  • Largest mass of living material on Earth
  • Carry out major processes for biogeochemical cycles
  • Can live in places unsuitable for other organisms
  • Other life forms require microbes to survive
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3
Q

A dynamic entity that forms the fundamental unit of life

A

cell

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4
Q

All cells have the following in common:

A
  • Cytoplasmic (cell) membrane
  • Cytoplasm
  • Ribosomes
  • Cell wall
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5
Q

Barrier that separates the inside of the cell from the
outside environment

A

Cytoplasmic (cell) membrane

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6
Q

Aqueous mixture of macromolecules, ions, and ribosome

A

Cytoplasm

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7
Q

Protein-synthesizing structures

A

Ribosomes

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8
Q

Present in most microbes; confers structural strength

A

Cell wall

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9
Q

No membrane-enclosed organelles, no nucleus

A

Prokaryotes

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10
Q

Generally smaller than eukaryotic cells

A

Prokaryotes

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11
Q

DNA enclosed in a membrane-bound nucleus

A

Eukaryotes

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12
Q
  • Cells are generally larger and more complex
  • Contain organelles
A

Eukaryotes

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13
Q

A cell’s full complement of genes

A

genome

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14
Q

Prokaryotic cells generally have a single, circular DNA
molecule called a

A

chromosome

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15
Q

Eukaryotic DNA is __________ and found within the ____________

A

linear; nucleus

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16
Q

Prokaryotes also may have small amounts of
extrachromosomal DNA called _______________ that confer
special properties

A

plasmids

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17
Q
  • 4.64 million base pairs
  • 4,300 genes
A

Escherichia coli genome

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18
Q

Human cell has ___________________ DNA per cell than E. coli

A

1000X

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19
Q

Characteristics of living cells

A
  • Metabolism
  • Reproduction
  • Differentiation
  • Communication
  • Movement
  • Evolution
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20
Q

chemical transformation of nutrients

A

Metabolism

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21
Q

generation of two cells from one

A

Reproduction

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22
Q

synthesis of new substances or structures
that modify the cell (only in some microbes)

A

Differentiation

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23
Q

generation of, and response to, chemical
signals (only in some microbes)

A

Communication

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24
Q

via self-propulsion, many forms in microbes

A

Movement

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25
Q

genetic changes in cells that are transferred to
offspring

A

Evolution

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26
Q

Cells take up nutrients, transform them, and expel
wastes

A

Metabolism

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27
Q

Nutrients from the environment are converted into new cell materials to form new cells

A

Growth

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28
Q

Cells evolve to display new properties. Phylogenetic trees capture evolutionary relationships

A

Evolution

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29
Q

Properties of all cells

A
  • Metabolism
  • Growth
  • Evolution
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30
Q

Properties of some cells:

A
  • Differentiation
  • Communication
  • Genetic exchange
  • Motility
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31
Q

Some cells can form new cell structures such as a spore.

A

Differentiation

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32
Q

Cells interact with each other by chemical messengers.

A

Communication

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33
Q

Cells can exchange genes by several mechanisms.

A

Genetic exchange

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34
Q

Some cells are capable of self-propulsion.

A

Motility

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35
Q

protein catalysts of the cell that accelerate chemical reactions

A

Enzymes

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36
Q

DNA produces RNA

A

Transcription

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37
Q

RNA makes protein

A

Translation

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38
Q

common ancestral cell from which all cells descended

A

Last universal common ancestor (LUCA)

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39
Q

Earth is ________________ years old

A

4.6 billion

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40
Q

First cells appeared between __________________________ years
ago

A

3.8 and 3.9 billion

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41
Q

The atmosphere was ____________ until ~__________________

A

anoxic; 2 billion years ago

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42
Q
A
43
Q

Life was exclusively microbial until

A

1 billion years ago

44
Q

The process of change over time that results in new varieties and species of organisms

A

Evolution

45
Q

Evolutionary relationships between organisms

A

Phylogeny

46
Q

is excellent for determining phylogeny

A

Ribosomal RNA (rRNA)

47
Q

Comparative rRNA sequencing has defined three distinct
lineages of cells called

A

domains

48
Q

Domains

A
  • Bacteria (prokaryotic)
  • Archaea (prokaryotic)
  • Eukarya (eukaryotic)
49
Q

are NOT closely related

A

Archaea and Bacteria

50
Q

are more closely related to Eukarya than Bacteria

A

Archaea

51
Q

were the ancestors of multicellular organisms

A

Eukaryotic microorganisms

52
Q

From the last universal common ancestor (LUCA),
evolution proceeded to form two domains

A
  • Bacteria
  • Archaea
53
Q

Archaea later diverged to form two domains

A
  • Archaea
  • Eukarya
54
Q

Microorganisms exist in nature in populations of interacting
assemblages called

A

microbial communities

55
Q

The environment in which a microbial population lives is its

A

habitat

56
Q

refers to all living organisms plus physical and
chemical constituents of their environment

A

Ecosystem

57
Q

is the study of microbes in their natural environment

A

Microbial ecology

58
Q

Diversity and abundances of microbes are
controlled by

A

resources (nutrients) and environmental conditions (e.g., temp, pH, O2)

59
Q

are found in almost every environment imaginable

A

Microbes

60
Q

are Bacteria and Archaea that can grow in extremely harsh environments

A

Extremophiles

61
Q

The extent of microbial life
- Global estimate is

A

5 ✕ 10^30 cells

62
Q

Most microbial cells are found in

A

oceanic and terrestrial subsurfaces

63
Q

are key reservoirs of essential nutrients

A

cells

64
Q

Many aspects of agriculture depend on microbial
activities
- Positive impacts

A
  • Nitrogen-fixing bacteria
  • Cellulose-degrading microbes in the rumen
  • Regeneration of nutrients in soil and water
65
Q

Many aspects of agriculture depend on microbial
activities
Negative impacts

A

Diseases in plants and animals

66
Q

High numbers of microorganisms occur in

A

olon and oral cavity

67
Q

Microbiology began with the

A

microscope

68
Q

the first to describe microbes

A

Robert Hooke (1635–1703)

69
Q

Illustrated the fruiting structures of molds

A

Robert Hooke (1635–1703)

70
Q

the first to describe bacteria

A

Antoni van Leeuwenhoek (1632–1723):

71
Q

founded the field of bacterial classification and discovered bacterial endospores

A

Ferdinand Cohn (1828–1898)

72
Q

Discovered that living organisms discriminate between
optical isomers

A

Louis Pasteur (1822–1895)

73
Q

Discovered that alcoholic fermentation was a biologically
mediated process (originally thought to be purely
chemical)

A

Louis Pasteur (1822–1895)

74
Q

Demonstrated the link between microbes and infectious
diseases

A

Robert Koch (1843–1910)

75
Q

Identified causative agents of anthrax and tuberculosis

A

Robert Koch (1843–1910)

76
Q
  • Developed techniques (solid media) for obtaining pure
    cultures of microbes, some still in existence today
  • Awarded Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine in
    1905
A

Robert Koch (1843–1910)

77
Q

Observed that masses of cells (called ____________) have
different shapes, colors, and sizes

A

colonies

78
Q
  • field that focuses on nonmedical aspects of
    microbiology
  • Roots in 20th century
A

Microbial diversity

79
Q

Developed enrichment culture technique

A

Martinus Beijerinck (1851–1931)

80
Q

Demonstrated that specific bacteria are linked to
specific biogeochemical transformations (e.g., S and N
cycles)

A

Sergei Winogradsky

81
Q

Proposed concept of chemolithotrophy

A

Sergei Winogradsky (1856–1953)

82
Q

Proposed concept of chemolithotrophy

A

Sergei Winogradsky (1856–1953)

83
Q

In the 20th century, microbiology developed in two
distinct directions:

A

Applied and basic

84
Q

Fueled by the genomics revolution

A

Molecular microbiology

85
Q

Major subdisciplines of applied microbiology

A

Medical microbiology:
* Immunology
* Agricultural microbiology:
* Industrial microbiology:
* Aquatic microbiology:
* Biotechnology:

86
Q

infectious diseases

A

Medical microbiology

87
Q

immune system

A

Immunology

88
Q

microbes associated with soil

A

Agricultural microbiology

89
Q

production of antibiotics alcohols, and other chemicals

A

Industrial microbiology

90
Q

water, wastewater, and drinking water

A

Aquatic microbiology

91
Q

products of genetically engineered microorganisms

A

Biotechnology

92
Q

Basic science subdisciplines in microbiology

A
  • Microbial systematics
  • Microbial physiology
  • Microbial ecology
  • Microbial biochemistry
  • Bacterial genetics
  • Virology
93
Q

The science of grouping and classifying microorganisms

A

Microbial systematics

94
Q

Study of the nutrients that microbes require for
metabolism and growth and the products that
microorganisms generate

A

Microbial physiology

95
Q

Study of microbial diversity and activity in natural habitats

A

Microbial ecology

96
Q

Study of microbial enzymes and chemical reactions

A

Microbial biochemistry

97
Q

Study of heredity and variation in bacteria

A

Bacterial genetics

98
Q

Study of viruses

A

Virology

99
Q

study of all of the genetic material (DNA) in living cells

A

Genomics

100
Q

study of RNA patterns

A

Transcriptomics

101
Q

study of all the proteins produced by cell(s)

A

Proteomics

102
Q

study of metabolic expression in cells

A

Metabolomics

103
Q

are excellent models for understanding cellular
processes in unicellular and multicellular organisms

A

Microbes