4A. Microbial Diversity - Bacteria Flashcards
What are the two ways to describe microbial diversity?
- phylogenetic diversity
- functional diversity
Phylogenetic diversity
- grouped into phyla based on evolutionary relationships
- based on 16s rRNA gene sequence
Explain this tree
Red dots - phyla only known from metagenome sequencing from diverse environmental samples
Functional diversity
- Groups microbes based on the activities they carry out
How are function and phylum different?
- Phylo doesn’t tell alot about function
Examples of functional diversity on many phylums vs only 1 phylum
Many: anoxygenic phototrophs - dispersed through several phyla
1: oxygenic phototroph - cyanobacteria
Summarize this photo and general take aways
- most prokaryotes cannot be cultured in the lab yet
- some can be studied in a lab (green)
- some are only known based on 16s sequence or metagenomic studies (red)
Tenericutes (phylum) - species example, gram, defining features
- species: Mycoplasmas
- phylogenetically (16s rRNA) related to gram positives
- they gram stain negative tho - no cell wall
- not gram negative or postiive
- pleomorphic: can change shape or no defined shape
Ex of Tenericute (phylum) and defining features
mycoplasma genitalium (species)
- common cause of urethritis and pid
- first-free living bacteria to have it’s genome sequenced
Actinobacteria (phylum) - gram, 3 genus examples
- high GC gram positive (3 bonds)
- ex:
1. Corynebacterium
2. Mycobacteria
3. Filamentous
2 species examples of actinobacteria (phylum)
- Corynebacterium diphtheriae (species): produces an exotoxin that inhibits protein synthesis - causes tissue death in the respiratory tract - can lead to death by suffocation
- propionic acid bacteria - makes swiss cheese
mycobacteria (genus) - gram, defining features and ex
- modified gram positive cell wall - layer of mycolic acids outside peptidoglycan layer (Makes them acid fast)
ex) mycobacterium tuberculosis (slow growing - colonies can take weeks to form on agar medium)
Filamentous actinobacteria (genus) - defining features
- genus of filamentous gram positives
- form branching hyphae and mycelia
- hyphae produce reproductive spores for dispersal (conidia)
Is conidia an endospore?
NO!
filamentous actinobacteria (genus) and oxygen
- most are obligate aerobes
- live in well aerated soils
- gives soil the earthy smell (geosmins)
- produce substances that kill or inhibit the growth of other microbes (antibiotics)
Ex of obligate filamentous bacteria (genus) + defining features
- streptomyces griseus (species)
- produces streptomycin - broad spectrum protein synthesis inhibitor active against gram negative bacteria
Cons of broad spectrum antibiotic
also kills good bacteria since it kills everything
Competitive exclusion
good microbes take up space so bad bacteria can’t
Bacteroidetes (phylum) - gram, defining features
- large, heterogenous phylum of gram negative bacteria
- aerobes and anaerobes
ex of bacteroidetes (phylum) + defining features
bacteroides thetaiotaomicron (species)
- strict anaerobe
- in the human large intestine
- enzymes to degrade polysaccharides - increases the variety of plant polymers that can’t be digested in the human gut
acidobacteria (phylum) - defining features
- very little is known
- makes up 20-50% of soil microbial community
chlamydiae (phylum) - gram, defining features
- gram negative cell wall type (lack peptidoglycan)
- obligate intracellular parasites
- unique life-cycle with 2 types of cells - elementary and reticulate
2 types of bodies in chlamydiae (phylum)
- elementary body
- small, dense cells that resist drying
- allows infection of new host cells
- metabollically inactive (dormant) - reticulate body
- large vegetative cells
- multiply inside an existing hose
- not infective
- living
ex of chlamydiae (phylum) + defining features
chlamydia trachomatis (species)
- infection of the eye