Microbial Growth Environments Flashcards
what are extremophiles?
organisms that grow under harsh conditions that would kill most other organisms
what are common influential environmental conditions?
changing solute concentrations, pH, temperature, oxygen concentration, pressure
what conditions do most microbes prefer?
neutral environment conditions (osmolarity, temp, pH, and pressure)
what are the most common mechanisms used by extremophiles?
synthesized specialized enzymes and proteins, altering of genomic material, altering membrane composition, opening/closing channels or similar mechanism to acquire or remove substances to balance the intracellular environment
what is the typical outcome of osmotic concentrations on most microbes?
depending on osmolarity, there will be an influx of water in or out of the cell, causing it to burst or to shrink
how do microbes adapt to changes in osmotic concentration?
trigger channels in the membranes to ope which allows solute to leave or increase their internal osmotic concentration
what is the typical outcome of pH changes on most microbes?
cytoplasmic pH becomes acidic or alkaline, causes cell death
how do microbes adapt to pH changes?
utilize mechanisms that maintain a neutral pH such as exchange of protons, synthesizing special proteins, or producing waste products to balance the environmental pH
why are microbes so sensitive to temperature change?
microbes cannot regulate their internal temperature and their enzymes do not function well outside of their optimal range
how do microbes adapt to temperature changes?
utilize means to stabilize proteins and membranes
what is the typical outcome of oxygen concentration changes on most microbes?
organisms can be strict to facultative aerobes or anaerobes
O2 is toxic to strict anaerobes, so they must find other ways to make energy. strict aerobes are not fit for oxygen poor environments, so they will die without it
how do obligate anaerobes adapt when there is oxygen present?
they will sometimes associate with facultative anaerobes who will remove any oxygen from the environments
they also utilize enzymes that scavenge and neutralize reactive oxygen byproducts
what pressure are all microbes always at?
1 atm
what microbes need adaption mechanisms for pressure changes?
extremophiles
what are the four main types of extremophiles?
halophiles, acidophilus, thermophiles, and obligate anaerobes/aerobes
what happens when cells are in a hypotonic solution?
water enters the cell which causes it to swell and burst
what happens when cells are in a hypertonic solution?
water leaves the cell, causing membrane shrinkage from the cell wall
how do microbes reduce osmotic concentration of their cytoplasm in hypotonic solutions?
mechanosensitive channels in the plasma membrane
what are halophiles?
microbes that grow optimally in the presence of NaCl or other salts at a concentration above about 0.2 M
what makes a halophile extreme?
require salt concentrations between 3 and 6.2 M
their cell wall, proteins, and plasma membrane require high salt to maintain stability and activity
what are bacteria and protists classified as in regards to pH preference?
neutrophiles
what conditions do fungi prefer (pH)?
more acidic environments, between 4-6
what are most archaea classified as (pH)?
acidophiles (pH of 0-5)
what is the acidic tolerance response?
microbes pump protons out of the cell
some synthesize acid and heat shock proteins that protect main proteins
how do many microbes change the pH of their habitats?
by producing acidic or basic waste products