Chapter 1 Vocab. Flashcards
ubiquitous
being or seeming to be, everywhere at the same time.
microbiology
a specialized are of biology that deals with living things ordinarily too small to be seen without magnification, including bacteria, archaea, fungi, protozoa, and viruses.
microscopic
invisible to the naked eye
microorganism
a living thing ordinarily too small to be seen without magnification; an organism of microscopic size.
bacteria
category of prokaryotes with peptodoglycan in their cell walls and a single, circular chromosome. This group of small cells is widely distributed in the earth’s habitats.
viruses
microscopic, acellular agent composed of nucleic acis surrounded by a protein coat.
fungi
Heterotrophic unicellular or multicellular eukaryotic organism that may take the form of a larger macroscopic organism, as in the case of mushrooms, or a smaller microscopic organism, as in the case of yeasts and molds.
protozoa
A group of single-celled, eukaryotic organisms.
algae
Photosynthetic, plantlike organisms that generally lack the complex structure of plants; they may be single-celled or multi-cellular and inhabit diverse habitats such as marine and freshwater environments, glaciers, and hot springs.
helminth
A term that designates all parasitic worms.
prokaryotic cell
small cells, lacking special structures such as a nucleus and organelles. All prokaryotes are microorganisms.
eukaryotic cell
A cell that differs from a prokaryotic cell chiefly by having a nuclear membrane (a well-defined nucleus), membrane-bounded sub-cellular organelles, and mitotic cell division.
organelles
a small component of eukaryotic cells that is bounded by a membrane and specialized function.
photosynthesis
a process accurring in plants, algae, and some bacteria, that traps the sun’s energy and converts it to ATP in the cell. This energy is used to fix CO2 into organic compounds.
decomposition
the breakdown of dead matter and wastes into simple compounds that can can be directed back into the natural cycle of living things.
genetic engineering
a field involving deliberate alterations (recombination) of the genomes of microbes, plants, and animals through special technological processes.
recombinant DNA
a technology, associated with genetic engineering that deliberately modifies the genetic structure of an organism to create novel products, microbes, animals, plants, and viruses.
bioremediation
the use of microbes to reduce or degrade pollutants, industrial wastes, and household garbage.
parasite
an organism that lives on or within another organism (the host), from which it obtains nutrients and enjoys protection. The parasite produces some degree of harm to the host.
host
organism in which smaller organisms or viruses live, feed and reproduce
pathogen
any agent-usually a virus, bacterium, fungus, protozoan, or helminth-that causes disease.
emerging disease
newly identified disease that are becoming more prominent.
reemerging disease
previously identified disease that is increasing in occurrence.