Learning Outcomes - Week 11 - Metagenomics

Question 1

Understand microbiomes are diverse communities of __________ that live
in different ___________, including in and on humans.

What is the most prominent life form on earth out of animals, fungi, plants, protists, and bacteria?

Answer 1

microorganisms

ecological niches

Bacteria (by a long shot with 78%)

Question 2

T/F: Understand most bacterial species cannot be cultured using conventional
microbiological techniques.

What are some of the possible reasons for this?

Answer 2

True

Some of the possible reasons are that a required nutrient is not present in the culture medium, that the culture medium itself is toxic, or that other bacteria in the sample produce substances inhibitory to the target organism. In addition, we know that bacteria can depend on each other for growth.

Question 3

Understand the human microbiome is very ________, both between _________ and
between __________.

Answer 3

varied

body sites

individual humans

Question 4

What have next generation sequencing technologies allowed?

Answer 4

the analysis
of microbial communities and a much deeper understanding of
their make up.

Question 5

The 16S ribosomal RNA gene is conserved across __________________ and targeted sequencing of this gene can be used to study…?

Answer 5

all species of bacteria and archaea

the diversity of species within microbiomes.

Question 6

T/F: Metagenomics involves the sequencing of an entire microbial sample to identify which microbial genomes and hence which species are present.

Answer 6

True

Question 7

Answer 7

c) 16S Ribosomal RNA

Question 8

(Example of a question that is very detailed and will not be asked)

Which human body site has the largest proportion of microbial cells?

(a) Oral cavity.
(b) Skin.
(c) Gut
(d) Lung.

Answer 8

C