Definitions

Question 1

Symbioses

Answer 1

Association between two or more species (dissimilar organisms) – each known as a
symbiont
o Nature of microbial relationships with other living organisms

Question 2

Microbial Ecology

Answer 2

Study of behavior and activities of microorganisms in the natural environment
o Study of the interaction of organisms with each other and non-living, physical
environment
 Emphasis on physical conditions, processes, and interactions that occur on the
scale of individual microbial cells

Question 3

Population vs. communities

Answer 3

Population: Assemblage of individuals of the same species or similar organisms (same type)
o Community: Mixture of different microbial populations or assemblage of different types
of organisms

Question 4

Ecosystem

Answer 4

Self-regulating biological community and its association with the physical and chemical
environment (interacting as a system)
o Interaction of microorganisms and other organisms or/and the environment

Question 5

Environmental Microbiology

Answer 5

Overall microbial processes in the soil, water, etc.
o Not microenvironment, but broader scale of effects of microbial presence or activities
o (Note that microbial interactions are often hard to observe)

Question 5

Endosymbiont

Answer 5

One organism located within another

Question 6

Ectosymbiont

Answer 6

o One organism located on the surface of another (usually smaller) organism

Question 7

Consortium

Answer 7

Physical association of two different organisms, usually beneficial to both
 Dissimilar organisms of similar size
 Similar looking, but often have complimentary physiological properties