Ch 1: The Evolution of Microbiology and Microorganism Flashcards
Define the term:
Microorganism
Study Guide
An organism that is too small to be seen clearly with the naked eye and is often unicellular, or if multicellular, does not exhibit a high degree of differentiation
Define the term:
Microbiology
Study Guide
The study of microbes.
Define the term:
Prokaryote
A single-celled organism that lacks a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles (e.g., Bacteria and Archaea).
Define the term:
Eukaryotes
Study Guide
Organisms that contain cells that have a membrane-delimited nucleus (e.g., plants, fungi, protists, animals are and members of the domain Eukarya).
Define the term:
Bacteria
Single-celled prokaryotes lacking a nucleus, with diverse shapes, metabolisms, and reproductive strategies (i.e., binary fission).
Define the term:
Archaea
Study Guide
Single-celled prokaryotes without a nucleus, distinct from bacteria in genetics and membrane composition. They thrive in extreme or diverse environments and play key roles in ecological processes.
Define the term:
Eukarya
Consider the domain
Study Guide
Organisms with cells containing a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles. They include protists, fungi, plants, and animals, exhibiting diverse structures and functions.
Define the term:
Protists
Study Guide
Unicellular (and sometimes colonial) eukaryotic organisms that lack cellular differentiation into tissues. Many chemoorganotrophic _ are referred to as protozoa; many phototrophic _ are referred to as algae.
Define the term:
Fungi
Study Guide
Eukaryotic organisms with cell walls made of chitin. They obtain nutrients through decomposition or symbiosis and include yeasts, molds, and mushrooms.
Define the term:
Viruses
Study Guide
An infectious agent having a simple acellular organization with a protein coat and a nucleic acid genome, lacking independent metabolism, and multiplying only within living host cells.
Define the term:
Viriod
Consider the composition
Study Guide
An infectious agent that is a single-stranded RNA not associated with any protein; the RNA does not code for any proteins and is not translated.
Define the term:
Satellite
Consider the composition
Study Guide
Subviral infectious agents composed of DNA or RNA encapsidated with the aid of an unrelated helper virus.
Define the term:
Prion
Consider the composition
Study Guide
An infectious agent consisting only of protein; _ cause a variety of spongiform encephalopathies such as scrapie in sheep.
Define the term:
Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA)
Study Guide
The hypothetical last universal common ancestor of all current life, believed to be a simple, single-celled organism. It likely possessed basic molecular mechanisms like DNA replication, RNA transcription, and protein synthesis.
Describe the concept:
RNA World Hypothesis
Study Guide
The theory that posits that the first self-replicating molecule was RNA and this led to the evolution of the first primitive cell.
Define this term:
Phylogeny
Study Guide
The evolutionary development of a species.
Define this term:
Small Subunit Ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA)
Study Guide
A component of the ribosome’s small subunit, essential for protein synthesis in all living cells. It is widely used in phylogenetics to study evolutionary relationships due to its highly conserved sequences.
Describe this concept:
Endosymbiotic Hypothesis
Study Guide
The idea that mitochondria, and related organelles (e.g., hydrogenosomes), and chloroplasts arose from bacterial endosymbionts of ancestral eukaryotic cells.
Define this term:
Strain
Study Guide
A population of organisms that descends from a single organism or pure culture isolate.
Describe this concept:
Koch’s Postulates
Study Guide
A set of rules for proving that a microorganism causes a particular disease
