Introduction Flashcards
Define Microbiology.
Microbiology is a specialized area of
biology that deals with living things
ordinarily too small to be seen without
magnification.
Cell
unique entity made up of a complex mixture
of chemical materials and subcellular
components.
Prokaryotes
Def. Cells w/o
organelles.
Free floating cell parts
Small
Simple
May have flagella
Single Celled
Oldest
Bacteria
0.1-10 micrometer
Eukaryotes
Def. Cells with a nucleus
Have organelles
Larger (still small)
More complex
Many modes of
movement.
Single or Multi-cellular.
Came from Prokaryotes
Plants, animals etc.
10-100 micrometer
Self-feeding or nutrition
The capacity to
take up and use chemicals from the
environment and transform these chemicals
into usable products, including energy to
grow or survive.
Self-replicating or growth
The capacity to self direct synthesis, growing by division, forming two
cells from one.
Differentiation
The capacity to undergo change
in form or function, often in response to
environmental changes or normal growth
processes.
Chemical signaling
The capacity to interact with
other cells through chemical signals.
Evolution
The capacity to change genetically,
which may affect the overall fitness of the cell to
survive in a particular environment.
Species
Group of similar individuals that are sufficiently
different from other individuals to be
considered a recognized taxonomic group.
Genus
A collection of species that share a major
property (or properties), making them a
distinct group, permits the group to be
considered a genus (plural, genera).
Nitrobacter Winogradskyi
Sergei Winogradsky
Thiobacillus thiooxidans
A rod-shaped bacterium
capable of oxidizing reduced sulfur for the
generation of energy.
Physiological parameters
Ability to use a
particular carbohydrate.
Tidbits
First cell appeared 4.5 billion years ago
First eukaryotic cells appeared 2 billion years ago
First multicellular organisms appeared 0.6 billion years ago.
