Microbial Associations Flashcards
1
Q
Define endosymbiosis.
A
Engulfment of 1 cell type by another cell type leading to stable association of the 2 cells.
2
Q
Define obligate symbiosis.
A
A symbiotic lineage essential for host survival and reproduction, usually due to nutrient provisioning by hosts.
3
Q
Define facultative symbiosis.
A
A symbiotic lineage not essential for host survival and reproduction with the symbiont having free-living stages outside the host.
4
Q
How do the phylogenetic trees of hosts and obligate endosymbionts resemble each other?
A
They have identical topologies.
5
Q
What are hyper-endosymbionts?
A
Endosymbionts within endosymbionts. Think Russian dolls…
6
Q
How does genome size of obligate endosymbionts compare to their free-living counterparts?
A
Often their genome is 10X smaller.
