01: The Main Themes of Microbiology Flashcards
Microbiology
study of organisms too small to be seen without magnification
Microorganisms
- Bacteria
- Viruses
- Fungi
- Protozoa
- Algae
- Helminths (worms)
Prokaryotes
- Simple cells (pre-nucleus)
- microscopic, unicellular organisms, lack nuclei and membrane-bound organelles
Eukaryotes
- Complex cells (true nucleus)
- unicellular (microscopic) and multicellular, nucleus and membrane-bound organelles
Viruses
- Acellular, parasitic particles composed of a nucleic acid and protein
Photosynthesis
Light fueled conversion of carbon dioxide to organic material
Decomposition
Breakdown of dead matter and wastes into simple compounds
Which of the following does NOT describe a fungus?
A. Contains a nucleus
B. Has 80S Ribosomes
C. Useful in Decomposition
D. Is photosynthetic
D. Is photosynthetic
Biotechnology
Production of foods, drugs, and vaccines using living organisms
Genetic Engineering
Manipulating the genes of organisms to make new products
Bioremediation
Using living organisms to remedy an environmental problem
Lifestyles of Microorganisms
Majority live a free existence, are relatively harmless and often beneficial, and in many cases essential to life.
Parasites
live on or in the body of another organism called the host and it damages the host
Pathogens
- Microbes that do harm
- Nearly 2,000 different microbes cause diseases
- 10 B new infections/year worldwide
- 13 M deaths from infections/year worldwide
Spontaneous Generation
an early belief that some forms of life could arise from vital forces present in nonliving or decomposing matter (flies from manure, etc.)
Theory of Biogenesis
- the idea that living things can only arise from other living things
- Louis Pasteur
A Scientific Theory has little or no evidence to support it and could be best described as a “best guess”.
A. True
B. False
B. False
Endospores
demonstrated the presence of heat-resistant forms of some microbes.
Sterility
requires the elimination of all life forms including endospores and viruses.
Taxonomy
organizing, classifying and naming living things
Classification
orderly arrangement of organisms into groups
Nomenclature
assigning names
Identification
determining and recording traits of organisms for placement into taxonomic schemes
Levels of Classification
- Domain - Archaea, Bacteria, & Eukarya
- Kingdom
- Phylum or Division
- Class
- Order
- Family
- Genus
- Species
Assigning Scientific Names
Binomial (scientific) nomenclature
Gives each microbe 2 names:
- Genus - capitalized
- species - lowercase
Phylogeny
natural relatedness between groups of organisms
Evolution
- All new species originate from preexisting species
- Closely related organism have similar features because they evolved from common ancestral forms
- Evolution usually progresses toward greater complexity
Three Domains of Life
- Bacteria - true bacteria
- Archaea - odd bacteria that live in extreme environments, high salt, heat, etc.
- Eukarya - have a nucleus and organelles
Organisms in the Domain Archaea have more DNA sequence similarity to:
A. Escherichia coli which is in the Domain Bacteria
B. Humans which are in the Domain Eukarya
C. Archaea have no DNA sequence similarity to any other organism
A. Escherichia coli which is in the Domain Bacteria
