Microbial Evolution and Ecology

Question 1

how old is Earth

Answer 1

4.5 - 4.6 billion years old

Question 2

abiotic synthesis

Answer 2

biological molecules from inorganic precursors

Question 3

Stanley Miller

Answer 3

1953
abiotic synthesis research using what we think the conditions were for early Earth

Question 4

deepsea hydrothermal vents

Answer 4

best idea currently for what atmosphere was like

Question 5

panspermia

Answer 5

seeding from space

Question 6

ribozymes

Answer 6

RNA that copies itself/other strands

Question 7

RNA World

Answer 7

early cells used RNA instead of DNA

Question 8

life needs containment, which is theorized to be via

Answer 8

liposomes

Question 9

liposomes are made from

Answer 9

phospholipids

Question 10

prokaryotes came around

Answer 10

3.8 - 3.5 billion years ago

Question 11

stromatolites

Answer 11

sedimentary rock formations
can have evidence of early prokaryotic cells

Question 12

which is the likely first major metabolic pathway to evolve

Answer 12

glycolysis, it is universal across all life

Question 13

photosynthesis

Answer 13

earliest forms did not use water or release oxygen

Question 14

when did oxygenic photosynthesis occur? from who?

Answer 14

2.7 billion years ago
cyanobacteria

Question 15

The Great Oxygenation Event

Answer 15

2 billion years ago
made oxygen prevalent in atmosphere

Question 16

eukaryotes evolved

Answer 16

about 2 billion years ago, after oxygenation

Question 17

how did eukaryotes evolve

Answer 17

endosymbiosis

Question 18

eukaryotes and archaea share a common ancestor

Answer 18

lokiarcheota

Question 19

lokiarcheota

Answer 19

oldest archaea
discovered in 2015

Question 20

multicellular organisms

Answer 20

evolved 1.5 billion years ago
unicellular cells specialized
more advantages
slower rate of growth

Question 21

natural selection

Answer 21

descent with modification

Question 22

artificial selection

Answer 22

humans guiding evolution by selecting traits

Question 23

example of selection in bacteria

Answer 23

drug resistance

Question 24

vancomycin

Answer 24

antibiotic that targets normal cell wall

Question 25

ecology

Answer 25

study of relationships of organisms to each other and to their environment

Question 26

biotic interactions

Answer 26

between organisms

Question 27

abiotic interactions

Answer 27

environmental

Question 28

population

Answer 28

all members of a species living in a defined geographical area

Question 29

ecological community

Answer 29

populations within a defined region

Question 30

ecosystem

Answer 30

ecological populations and abiotic factors of specific area

Question 31

food chain

Answer 31

path of food consumption producers, herbivores, carnivores

Question 32

food web

Answer 32

more complex omnivores, decomposers

Question 33

biomass

Answer 33

lessens as goes up food chain

Question 34

microenvironment

Answer 34

area immediately surround the organism

Question 35

biofilms

Answer 35

microbial community growing on a surface play role in disease and antibiotic resistance

Question 36

quorum sensing

Answer 36

intercellular communication amongst bacteria

Question 37

autoinducers

Answer 37

chemical signal secreted by bacteria

Question 38

receptors

Answer 38

proteins that detect signals

Question 39

topsoil

Answer 39

mix of broken-down rock and dead plant matter made of humus (organic substances)

Question 40

rhizosphere

Answer 40

soil environment surrounding root systems has mycorrhizal associations

Question 41

microorganisms are important

Answer 41

primary producers

Question 42

phytoplankton

Answer 42

photosynthetic organisms, mainly algae and cyanobacteria

Question 43

zooplankton

Answer 43

protozoa, small crustaceans, other small organisms

Question 44

lake zones

Answer 44

photic littoral profundal benthic

Question 45

photic zone

Answer 45

extends to deepest sunlight penetration high oxygen content phytoplankton only producers

Question 46

littoral zone

Answer 46

photic zone where light hits the bottom of multicellular aquatic plants serve as producers

Question 47

profundal zone

Answer 47

oxygen limited sunken organic matter facultative anaerobes abundant

Question 48

benthic zone

Answer 48

deepest region including sediments obligate anaerobes and methanogens abundant

Question 49

thermocline

Answer 49

sharp demarcation in temperature in water

Question 50

oligotrophs

Answer 50

can grow in relatively low levels of nutrients

Question 51

eutrophs

Answer 51

require high nutrient abundance

Question 52

algal blooms

Answer 52

excessive algal growth high phosphate levels warm temperatures

Question 53

cyanobacteria and water pollution

Answer 53

turns water green turns environment anaerobic eutrophication

Question 54

eutrophication

Answer 54

pendulum swing change in bacterial populations

Question 55

oceans also have these zones

Answer 55

pelagic intertidal

Question 56

pelagic zone

Answer 56

within photic zone, in open-ocean

Question 57

intertidal zone

Answer 57

shoreline exposed to sea at high tide and air at low tide

Question 58

near-shore littoral zone

Answer 58

rich in nutrients from shore green due to abundant photosynthetic phytoplankton

Question 59

what is the dissolved salt content in the ocean

Answer 59

3.5%

Question 60

below ocean photic zone

Answer 60

dark, cold, low nutrients, high pressure

Question 61

barotolerant

Answer 61

organisms able to survive in high pressure

Question 62

exobiology

Answer 62

search for extraterrestrial life

Question 63

nitrogen fixation

Answer 63

atmospheric nitrogen cannot be used by plants or animals some bacteria break it into ammonium ions

Question 64

ammonification

Answer 64

bacteria such as Proteus and Clostridium degrade dead organic matter

Question 65

nitrification

Answer 65

ammonium to nitrite nitric to nitrate nitrate back

Question 66

root nodules

Answer 66

houses nitrogen-fixing bacteria