Ch. 7 And 8 Flashcards
Composition of a Bacterial Cell
70% water
15% proteins
7% nucleic acid
3% carbohydrates
2% lipids
3% organic materials
How do cells take in Iron?
Since iron is insoluble, making uptake difficult, microorganisms secrete siderophores. They solubilize iron and take it to the cytoplasm of the microorganisms.
- Fe+2
- found in rocks and soil
- needed by cytochromes (respiratory proteins)
Methanogenesis
- Chemoautotrophs produce methane (CH4) - swamp gas - by reducing CO2 by using H2 under anaerobic conditions
- methane is released but becomes crystallizes due to immense pressure
Extracellular enzymes
- enzymes that are released by an organism into their environment
- saprobes have rigid cell wall and can’t engulf large food particles
- therefore, they release enzymes outside of their cell to digest food molecules into smaller pieces that can then be transported into the cell
Facultative Parasite
Some non pathogenic saprobes can adapt and invade a susceptible host rather than solely feeding off the environment
Ectoparasites
Parasites that live on the body
Endoparasites
Parasites that live in organs and tissues
Intracellular parasites
Parasites that live within cells
- most extreme!
Autotroph
A microorganisms that requires only inorganic nutrients and whose main carbon source is CO2
Heterotroph
An organism that relies on organic compounds for its carbon and energy needs
Organic Carbon
Found only in nature through living things
Fastidious
Refers to bacteria that require strict narrow , nutritional or environmental conditions for growth because they lack genetic and metabolic mechanisms to synthesize compounds for survival
Macronutrients
- Required in large quantities
- play principal roles in cell structure and metabolism
- sugars (carbs) and amino acids (proteins)
Micronutrients\Trace Elements
- Required in small quantities
- involved in enzyme function and maintenance of protein structure
- manganese, zinc, nickel
Growth Factor
An organic compound such as a vitamin or amino acid that must be provide in the diet to facilitate growth
- amino acids, purines, pyrimidines
Photoautotroph:
- sunlight as energy
- ex: photosynthetic organism, algae, plants, Cyanobacteria
Chemoautotroph:
- simple inorganic compounds for energy
- archaea, methanogens, and deep-sea vent bacteria
Chemoheterotroph
- metabolically convert the nutrients from other organisms
- Protozoa, fungi, animals, some bacteria
Two Types of Chemoheterotrophs
- Saprobes: free living microorganisms that feed on organic debris from dead organisms (opportunistic pathogens and facultative parasites, fungi, bacteria)
- Symbiotic Microbes: obtain organic matter from living organisms by deriving nutrients from host (pathogens and parasites)
Parasites
An organism that lives on or within another organism from which it obtains nutrients and receives protection - produces of some degree of harm to host
Obligate parasite
Parasites that are so dependent on their host that they are unable to grow outside of host
Passive Transport
- Substances exist in a Gradient and and move from areas of high concentration to low concentration
- does not require energy
- ex: diffusion, osmosis, facilitated diffusion
What is the difference between osmosis and diffusion?
Diffusion: movement of any molecule from high to low concentration
Osmosis: movement of solvent (water) through a semi-permeable membrane from high to low concentration
Active transport
- requires energy and carrier proteins to transport molecules from areas of low concentration to high concentration