Lecture 6 Flashcards
What is an essential nutrient?
- any substance that must be provided to an organism
- Chemicals that are necessary for particular organisms, which they cannot manufacture by themselves
- Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphate, and sulfur (CHONPS)
What are macronutrients?
required in relatively large quantities and play principal roles in cell structure and metabolism
What are micronutrients?
also known as trace elements
present in much smaller amounts and are involved in enzyme function and maintenance of protein structure
What is an inorganic nutrient?
Not a product of living things
What are organic nutrients?
- contain carbon and hydrogen atoms and are the products of living things
- simple organic molecules such as methane
- large polymers (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids)
What makes up microbial cytoplasm?
Water – 70% of all components
Proteins
Organic compounds – 97% of dry cell weight
Elements CHONPS – 96% of dry cell weight
How much of components is water?
70%
How much of dry cell weight is organic compounds?
97%
How much of dry cell weight is CHONPS?
96%
How are most chemical elements available to the cell?
Most chemical elements available to the cell as compounds and not as pure elements
What is a heterotroph?
an organism that must obtain its carbon in an organic form
What is an autotroph?
an organism that uses inorganic CO2 as its carbon source
What does an autotroph have the ability to do?
has the capacity to convert CO2 into organic compounds
Are autotrophs nutritionally dependent on other living things?
No
What are phototrophs?
microbes that photosynthesize
What are chemotrophs?
microbes that gain energy from chemical compounds
What ate chemoorganic autotrophs?
use organic compounds for energy and inorganic compounds as a carbon source
What are lithoautotrophs?
rely totally on inorganic minerals and don’t require sunlight or organic nutrients
What are 2 types of chemoautotrophs?
chemoorganic autotrophs and lithoautotrophs
What is a type of chemoheterotrphs?
Saprobes
What are saprobes and parasites?
- free living organisms that feed on organic detritus from dead organisms
- decomposers of plant litter, animal matter, and dead microbes
- recycle organic nutrients
What are parasites?
derive nutrients from the cells or tissues of a living host
What are pathogens?
cause damage to tissues or even death
What are ectoparasites?
live on the body