basic structure of a bacterial cell

Question 1

Name the 6 parts of a bacterial cell that are always present

Answer 1

Cell wall, cell membrane, cytoplasm, ribosome, storage granule, loop of DNA

Question 2

Name the 2 parts of a bacterial cell that are sometimes present

Answer 2

Capsule (dry) or slime layer (moist)

flagella

Question 3

Explain the role of the cell membrane in a bacterial cell

Answer 3

Bacteria are surrounded by a cell membrane, outside of which is a strong cell wall

Question 4

What is the cell wall made of?

Explain the role of the cell wall in a bacterial cell

Answer 4

It is made of a complex mixture of sugars and protein.

It prevents bacteria from swelling with water and bursting when they are in solutions that are less concentrated than their cytoplasm.

Question 5

Explain the role of the capsule in a bacterial cell

Answer 5

Outside the wall there may be further protection in the form of a semi-solid capsule or a more liquid slime layer

Question 6

Explain the role of the chromosome in a bacterial cell

Answer 6

Bacteria have one bacterial chromosome consisting of a circular strand of DNA without any surrounding membrane. The chromosome doesn’t contain any associated protein

Question 7

Explain the role of the plasmid in a bacterial cell:
What do they contain?
What are these things responsible for?

Answer 7

Plasmids contain genes that are responsible for bacterial resistance to antibiotics and are used in genetic engineering.

Question 8

Explain the role of the cytoplasm in a bacterial cell:

Where is it and what does it contain?

Answer 8

The material surrounding the chromosome is called the cytoplasm.
It contains ribosomes, numerous storage granules, but no mitochondria or chloroplasts

Question 9

Explain the role of the flagella in a bacterial cell

Answer 9

Many bacteria are motile because they have one or more flagella.