Chapter 15: Intro to Microbial Ecosystems Flashcards
What is one of the best habitats for the culturability of microbes?
Activated sludge
What percent of microbes are culturable?
~1%
What term describes the interactions and exchanges of materials between communities of organisms and their surrounding environments?
Ecosystems
What term describes organisms that capture energy via photosynthesis?
Primary producers
What term describes organisms that ingest/utilize stored photosynthetic energy?
Consumers
What term describes organisms that recycle components back to environments?
Decomposers
What term describes the role of an organism within its ecosystem?
Niche
What term describes the total number of the same organism within an environment?
Population
What term describes all living organisms within an ecosystem?
Community
What term describes the specific functional role of an organism within an ecosystem?
Niche
What quickly changing environment type do microbes exist in?
Microenvironments
What term describes groups/layers of microbes on a surface that interact with and support each other?
Biofilms
Where can biofilms be found in nature?
River rocks
What type of bacteria is typically involved in forming the primary layer in biofilm formation?
Appendaged bacteria
What joins a biofilm after the primary colonizer?
Secondary colonizers
