Chapter 15 The Evolution of Microbial Life Flashcards
What is the cambrian explosion?
The “Cambrian Explosion” refers to the sudden appearance in the fossil record of complex animals with mineralized skeletal remains. It may represent the most important evolutionary event in the history of life on Earth.
What is the Miller and Urey Experiment
The Miller–Urey experiment (or Miller experiment) was a chemical experiment that simulated the conditions thought at the time to be present on the early Earth, and tested the chemical origin of life under those conditions.
What are the three basic shapes found in Bacteria?
The three basic bacterial shapes are coccus (spherical), bacillus (rod-shaped), and spiral (twisted), however pleomorphic bacteria can assume several shapes. Cocci may be oval, elongated, or flattened on one side. Cocci may remain attached after cell division.
How do prokaryotes reproduce?
Through binary fission. Capable of reproducing exponentially.
What are endotoxins?
A toxin that is present inside a bacterial cell and is released when the cell disintegrates. It is sometimes responsible for the characteristic symptoms of a disease, e.g., in botulism.
What is an exotoxin?
A toxin released by a living bacterial cell into its surroundings.
What is a protist?
A protist is any eukaryotic organism that is not an animal, plant or fungus.
What is the theory of Endosymbiosis?
Symbiosis in which one of the symbiotic organisms lives inside the other.
