Microbial Metabolism Flashcards
What is metabolism?
The breakdown or biosynthesises metabolites
What are metabolites?
Products of metabolism
Do different microbes have different requirements?
Yes
Are microunites required in large amounts?
Yes
Are microunits small amounts?
Yes
What are macrounits?
A handful of chemical elements
Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur and selenium
How much of a cell is dry weight?
50%
What are macromolecules made up of?
Macronutrients
How much of wet weight are macromolecules made up of?
75%
The remainding 25% of weight for macromolecules is made up of what?
Proteins, lipids, nucleic acids and polysaccharides
What are the building blocks of macromolecules?
Amino acids, nucleotides, fatty acids and sugars
How mcuh % is carbon in a cells dry weight?
50%
Where is carbon obtained?
The breakdown of polymeric substances or direct up take of building blocks
What are autotrophs?
Can make their own food
Can synthesize organic compunds directly from carbon dioxide
What is nitrogen available as?
Ammonia (NH3)
Nitrogen gas (N2)
Can all microorganisms use ammonia?
Yes
What bacteria can use nitrigen gas directly?
Nitrogen fixing bacteria
What proucts are from H2O?
Hydrogen and Oxygen
Does active transport require energy?
Yes
Do solutes move with or againts the concentration gradient?
Against the concentration gradient?
Why do soluted move against the concentration geadient?
Simple transport
Group translocation
ABC transport systems
What does transmembrane proteins do?
Allow nutrients to enter through the central pore
Do microbes have a diverse range of possible enery options?
Yes
What is an energy yielding reactions?
Catabolism
What are chemotrophs?
Organisms that obtain energy through inorganic or organic chemicals
What are organic chemicals?
Chemoorganotrophs
Glucose by E.coli converted into energy rich bonds of ATP
What are inorganic chemicals?
Chemolothotrophs
Sulphur metaboliding bacteria, the iron metabolising bacteria and the nitrifying bacteria
What are phototrophs?
Contain chlorophylls and other pigments
Convert light energy to ATP
Do phototrophs require chemicals as a curce of energy?
No
What are heterotrophs?
Cell carbon obtained from an organic compound
What are autotrophs?
Used in carbon dioxide
Most are chemolithotrophs and phototrophs
What are autotrophs also known as?
Primary producers
What do autotrophs synthesise?
Organic material from inorganic carbon
What is the calvin cycle?
The major biochemical pathway to incorporate CO2 into cell material
Which can be accessed by heterotrophs
