Unit 1 A

Question 1

Define the term “microbiology.”

Answer 1

Specialized area of biology that deals with living things, that is almost all too small to be seen by the naked eye.

Question 2

What five major groups of microbes are included under the umbrella of microbiology?

Answer 2

Bacteriology, Helminthology, Virology, Mycology, Protozoology

Question 3

What are the names of the specific disciplines that research each of these major groups?

Answer 3

Bacteriologist, Helminthologist, Virologist, Mycologist, Protozoologist

Question 4

Six branches of microbiology & the corresponding professions were discussed. For each, describe in a sentence or two what each branch focuses on. Information can be pulled from lecture & your textbook.

Answer 4

Medical/ clinical microbiology (Microbiologist) deal with the microbes that cause disease in humans & animals.

Public Health Microbiology (Microbiologist) & Epidemiology (Epidemiologist) they are responsible for the monitoring and controlling the spread of disease activity.

Immunology (Immunologist) they work ad research the cells that are produced in response to infection. They are also involved with vaccination, blood testing, allergy, cancer, and autoimmune diseases.

Industrial Microbiology (Microbiologist) they protect our food and water and creates biotechnology. They also work with microbes to create amino acids, beer, drugs, enzymes, & vitamins.

Agricultural Microbiology (Microbiologist) they focus on the relationship between microbes and domesticated plants and animals (farms). They are plant and animal specialists.

Environmental Microbiology (Microbiologist) They work with and study the environment and the effects of microbes on earths diverse habitats.

Question 5

Define what LUCA means.

Answer 5

Last Universal Common Ancestor

Question 6

Compare & contrast eukaryotes from prokaryotes. Of the microbe classes discussed in section 1, which are prokaryotes?

Answer 6

Eukaryotes have a true nucleus: virus, protozoa, helminths, fungi.

Prokaryotes are pre nucleus (do not have a true nucleus): archaea and bacteria.

Question 7

Are you a prokaryote or a eukaryote?

Answer 7

I am Eukaryote.

Question 8

Define the word ubiquitous.

Answer 8

Ubiquitous- found virtually everywhere.

Question 9

Describe why The Great Oxygenation Event led to a mass extinction.

Answer 9

Before the great oxygenation event most species (all we know) did not use oxygen so there was a lot of excess oxygen in the atmosphere causing warming of the planet and reactions like mass fires, in addition breathing in the oxygen may have harmed organisms that could not evolve to use oxygen.

Question 10

What organisms account for ≈70% of all O2 production on Earth today?

Answer 10

About 70% of earths O2 production on earth for photosynthesis comes from microorganisms specifically bacteria & algae.

Question 11

What would happen if microbes did not decompose organic matter?

Answer 11

We would be buried in our own waste products if microbes did not decompose organic matter.

Question 12

Provide two examples of ancient uses of microbes to make products.

Answer 12

Yeast to produce bread
Fungi to produce cheese

Question 13

Biotechnology

Answer 13

“manipulation of microorganisms to make products in an industrial setting.”

Question 14

Genetic Engineering

Answer 14

“area of biotechnology that manipulates the genetics of microbes, plants, and animals for the purpose of creating new products & genetically modified organisms (GMOs).”

Question 15

Research online & describe three products that are used using genetic engineering. I recommend searching for medicine, food, & energy sources utilizing this technology.

Answer 15

Genetic engineer is being used to create human insulin, which is used to treat diabetes.

Genetic engineered Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt) corn produces a protein that is toxic to some insects and pests but not humans, pets, and livestock (other animals).

Genetic engineered bio-diesel, offers recycling of atmospheric carbon and reduced toxic gas emissions.

Question 16

Research online & describe one event in which bioremediation was used to clean up toxic pollutants.

Answer 16

Bioremediation was used to combat the effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989 and the British Petroleum Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. Microorganisms consumed petroleum hydrocarbons reducing the environmental impact.

Question 17

Most microbes cause disease.

Answer 17

False

Question 18

Infectious disease plays a large role in human health globally, but not always equally between populations of people.

Answer 18

In all countries more deaths occur due to aging or diseases of the aging, although the lower the income in the country the more deaths that occur at younger ages or due to infectious disease.

Question 19

Compare emerging & reemerging diseases.

Answer 19

Emerging diseases are new diseases.

Reemerging diseases are old diseases that are making a comeback.

Question 20

Be able to provide examples of recent findings that previously “noninfectious” diseases can be caused by infectious agents.

Answer 20

Gastric ulcers

Certain cancers

Diabetes

Schizophrenia

Multiple sclerosis

OCD

Coronary artery disease

Obesity
 

Question 21

Describe the cell structure of prokaryotes vs. eukaryotes.

Answer 21

Prokaryotes- are smaller than eukaryotes and lack organelles (no true nucleus)

Eukaryotes- are larger about 10x than prokaryotes, and have a variety of organelles including a true nucleus.

Question 22

How do viruses differ physically from prokaryotes or eukaryotes?

Answer 22

Viruses are acellular organisms, whereas both prokaryotes and eukaryotes are cellular.

Question 23

The majority of microbes are _____-celled.

Answer 23

Single

Question 24

Where do the majority of microbes live?

Answer 24

Soil & water

Question 25

Where do the majority of microbes obtain their food & other factors?

Answer 25

Nonliving environment

Question 26

Define what a “parasite” is.

Answer 26

Organisms that are harbored and nourished by the host and also cause the host damage and disease.

Question 27

Describe biogenesis, biogenesis, & abiogenesis.

Answer 27

Biogenesis- Asexual reproduction
Biogenesis- Sexual reproduction
Abiogenesis- Nonliving matter

Question 28

Provide an example of spontaneous generation provided by Aristotle.

Answer 28

Bread left in a corner produces mice

Question 29

What was Redi’s experiment?

Answer 29

Two flasks with rotting meet in it one covered with gauze and one uncovered to see maggots appeared on the meat, the result was on the uncovered maggots appeared on the meat and on the covered they appeared on the top of the gauze.

Question 30

How did Pasteur disprove spontaneous generation?

Answer 30

He used a swan neck flask and used meat broth and vigorously boiled it (this sterilized it). In the flask with the neck intact microbes were trapped at the base and the broth remained sterile; however, on the second flask where the neck was broken growth occurred.

Question 31

What did Hooke & Leeuwenhoek do to advance microbiology?

Answer 31

Hooke had first descriptions of mold, household objects, plants and drew them. Leeuwenhoek developed fine glass lenses and looked at many things and drew them.

Question 32

Using your textbook, describe a recent discovery that has had a huge impact on our understanding of microbiology.

Answer 32

Invention of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique in the 1980s. This “allows us to detect tiny amounts of DNA and amplify them into quantities sufficient for studying them”.

Question 33

Scientific method:

Answer 33

formulate a question – background research – make hypothesis – experiment – analyze data (reject or accept hypothesis) – communicate results.

Question 34

Deductive reasoning

Answer 34

using general premises to form specific conclusions.

Question 35

Inductive reasoning

Answer 35

starting from specific premises and forming general conclusions.

Question 36

Describe, briefly, the atmosphere of Victorian surgery.

Answer 36

It was chaotic there was no anesthetic, so patients were held down and surgeries were done as quickly as possible. It was also done in street clothes that may be unwashed for days and eating was done during surgeries at times especially during long surgeries.

Question 37

Why is Liston famous for his amputations?

Answer 37

Known as “the fastest knife on wests end”, he was very fast at performing surgeries.

Question 38

Provide one example of microbiology advancements by Pasteur.

Answer 38

Pasteurization- heated to less than boiling but close. He used this to created wine and beer but latter founded out diseases could arise from infections and produced vaccines. He study Chicken cholera, anthrax, and rabies.

Disproved spontaneous generation

Question 39

Provide one example of microbiology advancements by Koch.

Answer 39

Developed a series of steps to identify disease agents (we still follow these)

Question 40

Define nomenclature.

Answer 40

Assigning names

Question 41

What are the 8 taxonomic hierarchies, & what is their order?

Answer 41

Domain – Kingdom – Phylum – Class – Order – Family – Genus - Species

Question 42

Fully describe the binomial system for naming & how to use it in writing. When to italicize, when to underline, what to capitalize, when you are allowed to abbreviate…

Answer 42

Combination of genus & species name

Genus is always capitalized

Species is always not capitalized

Always italicized (or underlined if using handwriting)

After first mention we often shorthand the genus
Ex: Escherichia coli -> E. coli

Question 43

Why is ssuRNA used for phylogenetics when making trees of life?

Answer 43

It is highly conserved so it can provide a living record of the evolution of organisms

Question 44

Three domains:

Answer 44

Eukaryotes, Archaea, Bacteria

Question 45

Six kingdoms:

Answer 45

Eubacteria, Archaebacteria, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, Animalia