Lecture 1A: Introduction to Microbial Physiology and Prokaryotic Cell Structure Flashcards
What is microbial physiology?
- Study of how microbial cell structures, growth, and metabolism work in microorganism.
- Study of microbial cell functions which includes the study of microbial growth, microbial metabolism, microbial cell structure .
- Structure-function relationships in microorganisms, especially how microbes respond to their environment.
- Foundational to advanced or applied fields such as metabolic engineering and functional genomics
Prokaryotic cell structure
- Cell morphology
- The small world
- The Cell Membrane and Wall
- 3A: cytoplasmic membrane
- 3B: Bacterial Cell Walls: Peptodoglycan - Cell Surface structures and inclusions
What are the 6 cell morphology?
- Coccus
- Rod
- Spirillum
- Spirochete
- Budding and appendaged
- Filamentous
typically DOES NOT predict physiology, ecology, phylogeny or other properties of prokaryotic cell.
Morphology
Morphology typically DOES NOT predict ____, _____, ______ or other properties of prokaryotic cell.
physiology, ecology, phylogeny
may be ____ ___ involved in setting the morphology
selective forces
3 example of selective forces involved in setting the morphology
- optimization fornutrient uptake
- swimming motility in viscous environments or near surfaces
- gliding motility
What is the size range for prokaryotes
0.2 um to >700 um in diameter
What are the two microorganism that are exception the rule of the size range for prokaryotes
- Epulopiscium fishelsoni
- Thiomargarita namibiensis
Width and length of most cultured rod-shaped bacteria
between 0.5 and 4.0 µm wide and <15 µm long.
What is the size range for eukaryotic cells
0.2 to >600 um in diameter
On the average, what is the limit of resolution of human eye?
0.1 um
It is necessary for growth rates and evolution
Surface-to-volume ratios
Surface-to-volume ratios is necessary for what?
Growth rates and evolution
ADVANTAGES TO BEING SMALL:
- More surface area relative to cell volume than large cells
- Support greater nutrient and waste product exchange per unit cell volume
- Tend to grow faster than large cells
- Mutation leads to faster evolution
- Prokaryotic cell has faster adaptive state
More surface area means more what
Cell membrane
Why having more cell membrane is advantageous
Much faster nutrient uptake
Why high volume with small surface area is disadvantageous
Cells cannot cope because of the lower rate of nutrient uptake resulting in slower uptake of nutrients than the metabolism.
What will happen if the metabolism is too fast?
cell cannot cope since cell membrane is not enough to take up and transport nutrients needed by the cell
High volume = high ____ requirement
Energy
Lower limits of cell size
- Cellular organisms <0.15 µm in diameter are unlikely
- Need volume to house proteins, nucleic acids, ribosomes, and so on
- Open oceans tend to contain small cells (0.2 - 0.4) known as “ultramicrobacteria”
- Genomes are highly streamlined, missing functions that must be supplied by other microbea or hosts (plants and animals)
What do you call the small cells ( 0.2-0.4 um) found in open oceans
ultramicrobacteria
parasite that depends completely on the host for its habitat, nourishment, reproduction, and survival
Obligate parasites
In what habitat do cells typically appears smaller in size than those of comparable higher nutrient habitats
- in low-nutrient habitat (oligotrophic) in marine plankton