Lecture 1 Flashcards
What is a microbe?
free living organism that an only be seen under a microscope ( <100 mircons)
What is an example of a macroscopic microbe? how large is it?
Epulopiscium fishelsoni
200-700 microns long
What type of relaitonship does Epulopiscium fishelsoni have with its host?
symbiotic relationship with surgeonfish that helps digest algae
What is an example of a microbe that is not free-living?
chlamydia trachomatis
What are some reasons that viruses could be considered alive?
1) they have gift-wrapped nucleic acids proteins
2) they can evolve
What are some reasons that viruses could be considered not alive?
1) they are not cellular organisms
2) they cannot replicated independently
3) virsus do not have ribosomes
Is yeast a fungi?
yes
Which cyanobacteria grows in warm environments?
prochlorococcus
What is the coccus shape?
sphere
What is the bacillus shape?
rod
What is the vibrio shape?
comma
What is the coccobacillus shape?
elongated sphere/ short rod
What is the spirillum shape?
wavy/spiral
What is the spirochete shape?
very wavy/spiral
can move in viscous (thick) mediums like mud and mucus
What is the genetic material held in a prokaryote?
nucleoid
Do prokaryotes have ER and mitochondria?
no
When did life begin? and with what?
4 billion years ago with anaerobic bacteria and archaea
When did cyanobacteria emerge?
2.5 billion years ago
What happened after cyanobacteria emerged?
aerobic bacteria emerged then unicellular eukaryotes emerged like protist and yeast
When did multicellularity happen?
less than 1 billion years ago
When did mammals emerge?
65 million years ago
What branched bacteria and archaea?
LUCA
What is special about pyrococcus furiosus?
lives in very high temperatures in submarine hydrothermal vents — used in PCR
What cyanobacteria lives in cold environments?
synechococcus lividus
Why are microbes so good at life?
they are small and unicellular so they can reproduce and evolve quickly
Does a cell with a small or high SA/V ratio grow faster? why?
High b/c it has a faster rate of chemical exchange
What is gene is the mutation that allows adults to digest lactose by still producing lactase? how long did this adaptation take?
MCM6
took 20, 000 years
