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Microbiology > Chapter 4: Bacteria and Archaea > Flashcards

Chapter 4: Bacteria and Archaea Flashcards

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1
Q

What are nanowires in bacteria?

A

Tiny protein structures used to transfer electrons or nutrients to other cells or surfaces.

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2
Q

What is a biofilm?

A

A community of microorganisms attached to a surface and embedded in a protective matrix.

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3
Q

What does planktonic mean?

A

Free-floating or motile microbial cells in liquid.

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4
Q

What is a coccus?

A

A spherical-shaped bacterial cell

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5
Q

What is a rod or bacillus?

A

A cylindrical or rod-shaped bacterium.

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6
Q

What is a coccobacillus?

A

A bacterium with a shape between coccus and bacillus (short and plump).

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7
Q

What are curved bacteria?

A

Bacteria with a slight curve, like vibrio.

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8
Q

What is a vibrio?

A

A comma-shaped bacterium.

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9
Q

What is a spirillum?

A

A rigid, spiral-shaped bacterium.

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10
Q

What is a spirochete?

A

A flexible, spiral-shaped bacterium with axial filaments.

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11
Q

What is pleomorphism?

A

The ability of some bacteria to change shape or size.

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12
Q

What is a tetrad arrangement?

A

A group of four cocci arranged in a square.

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13
Q

What is a sarcina?

A

A cubical packet of 8 or more cocci.

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14
Q

What are diplococci?

A

Pairs of cocci.

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15
Q

What are staphylococci?

A

Irregular grape-like clusters of cocci.

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16
Q

What are streptococci?

A

Chains of cocci

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17
Q

What is a palisade arrangement?

A

A side-by-side arrangement of bacilli, often angular.

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18
Q

What are bacterial appendages?

A

Structures like flagella or pili used for movement or attachment.

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19
Q

What is motility?

A

The ability of a cell to move by itself.

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20
Q

What are flagella?

A

Long, whip-like structures for bacterial movement.

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21
Q

What is the basal body of a flagellum?

A

The anchor of the flagellum in the cell wall and membrane.

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22
Q

What is the filament in flagella?

A

The long, helical part that rotates to move the cell.

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23
Q

What is the hook in flagella?

A

The curved segment connecting the filament to the basal body.

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24
Q

What does monotrichous mean?

A

A single flagellum at one end of the cell.

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25
What is lophotrichous flagella?
A tuft of flagella at one or both ends.
26
What does amphitrichous mean?
One flagellum at each end of the cell.
27
What does peritrichous mean?
Flagella distributed all over the cell surface.
28
What is a polar arrangement of flagella?
Flagella located at one or both ends of a cell.
29
What is chemotaxis?
Movement of bacteria in response to chemical signals.
30
What is a bacterial "run"?
A straight movement due to flagella rotating counterclockwise.
31
What is a bacterial "tumble"?
A brief, random change in direction caused by clockwise flagellar rotation.
32
What is phototaxis?
Movement in response to light.
33
What are axial filaments?
Internal flagella in spirochetes used for twisting motion.
34
What are fimbriae?
Short, bristle-like appendages for adhesion to surfaces.
35
What is a pilus?
A long, rigid appendage used in conjugation (DNA transfer).
36
What is pilin?
The protein subunit that makes up pili.
37
What is bacterial conjugation?
The transfer of DNA through a pilus from one bacterium to another.
38
What is the S layer?
A protective protein layer outside some bacterial cell walls.
39
What is the glycocalyx?
A sugar-based coating around bacteria, including capsules and slime layers.
40
What is a slime layer?
A loose, sticky layer of glycocalyx that helps in adherence and protection.
41
What is a bacterial capsule?
A dense, protective glycocalyx that helps bacteria evade phagocytosis.
42
What is the cell envelope?
The outer layers of a bacterial cell, including the membrane and wall.
43
What is the function of the bacterial cell wall?
Provides shape and prevents lysis from osmotic pressure.
44
What is peptidoglycan?
A mesh-like polymer of sugars and amino acids in bacterial cell walls.
45
What is glycan in peptidoglycan?
The sugar component (NAG and NAM) of peptidoglycan.
46
What is lysis?
The bursting of a cell due to damage or osmotic pressure.
47
What is teichoic acid?
A polymer found in Gram-positive cell walls, involved in rigidity and ion transport.
48
What is lipoteichoic acid?
Teichoic acid linked to the membrane in Gram-positive bacteria.
49
What is mycolic acid?
A waxy lipid in acid-fast bacteria that makes the cell wall resistant to chemicals.
50
What does the acid-fast stain detect?
Mycobacteria with waxy mycolic acid in their walls.
51
What does pleomorphic mean?
Describes bacteria that can vary in shape.
52
What is the function of the bacterial cell membrane?
Controls entry/exit of substances and is involved in energy reactions
53
What is transport in microbiology?
Movement of substances across the cell membrane
54
What is the outer membrane?
An additional layer in Gram-negative bacteria, containing lipopolysaccharide.
55
What is Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)?
A molecule in Gram-negative outer membranes; an endotoxin
56
What is an endotoxin?
A toxic substance released from the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria.
57
What are porins?
Proteins that allow small molecules to pass through the outer membrane.
58
What is crystal violet?
The primary stain in Gram staining.
59
What is Gram’s iodine?
A mordant that fixes crystal violet in Gram-positive cells.
60
What does alcohol do in a Gram stain?
It decolorizes Gram-negative cells.
61
What is safranin?
A counterstain that colors Gram-negative cells pink/red.
62
What is the cytoplasm?
Gel-like internal fluid of the cell where metabolic processes occur.
63
What is the bacterial chromosome?
A single, circular DNA molecule located in the nucleoid.
64
What is the nucleoid?
The region in the cytoplasm where the bacterial chromosome is found.
65
What are plasmids?
Small, circular DNA molecules that carry nonessential but useful genes
66
What are bacterial ribosomes?
70S structures that synthesize proteins.
67
What are inclusion bodies?
Storage sites in the cytoplasm for nutrients or waste.
68
What are metachromatic granules?
Storage granules that stain differently from the surrounding cytoplasm.
69
What are microcompartments?
Protein-coated structures that contain enzymes for specific tasks.
70
What is actin's role in bacteria?
Helps maintain cell shape.
71
What is an endospore?
A dormant, resistant structure formed by some bacteria to survive harsh conditions.
72
What is sporulation?
The process of forming endospores.
73
What is dipicolinic acid?
A compound that stabilizes proteins and DNA in endospores.
74
What is a sporangium?
The cell that forms and houses an endospore.
75
What is a vegetative bacterial cell?
A metabolically active and growing cell.
76
What are archaea?
Prokaryotes distinct from bacteria, often living in extreme environments
77
What does psychrophilic mean?
Prefers cold environments (0–15°C)
78
What does hyperthermophilic mean?
Thrives in extremely hot environments (80°C+).
79
What are Gracilicutes?
A taxonomic group of Gram-negative bacteria.
80
What are Firmicutes?
A taxonomic group of Gram-positive bacteria.
81
What are Tenericutes?
Bacteria with no cell wall
82
What are Mendosicutes?
A former classification of Archaea.
83
What does facultative mean in microbiology?
Can grow with or without oxygen.
84

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