Microbial Nutritional Requirements and Transport Flashcards
Give 6 required non-metal and 4 required metal macronutrients
Oxygen, Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Sulphur and Hydrogen
K, Mg, Ca, Fe
Give 2 examples of required micronutrients - how do these differ from macronutrients
Co + Cu
Absence will not cause growth to stop
Define and give 1 disadvantage for both prototrophy and auxotrophy
Prototrophy - Able to synthesise all of its cellular constituents from basic nutrients
Disadvantage - must maintain and multiply the genes for all of these processes
Auxotrophy - Lost ability to make certain compounds required for growth and metabolism
Disadvantage - Running out of nutrients causes growth to stop
What are the 3 things core to metabolism
Energy, Electrons and Carbon
2 ways in which microbes acquire energy and the given name
ATP from photosynthesis - Phototrophs
Organic/Inorganic compounds - Chemotrophs
3 ways in which energy is used
Chemical work
Transport work
Mechanical work
2 ways in which microbes acquire electrons and the given name
Inorganic compounds - Lithotrophs
Organic molecules - Organotrophs
2 ways in which electrons are used
Redox reactions - alter oxidation state
Energy generation by ETC
2 ways in which microbes acquire carbon and the given name
Co2 - Autotrophs
Organic carbon molecules - Heterotrophs
2 ways in which carbon is used
Building of structures
Act as a backbone
Order in which a metabolic microbe is named
Energy - Electron - Carbon
Define Passive diffusion
Movement of molecules from a high concentration gradient to a low concentration gradient
What is used in facilitated diffusion - 1 advantage to passive diffusion
Carrier molecule - permease
Allows transport of sugars and amino acids
Why is a plateau reached in facilitated diffusion
Carrier solution effect - permease becomes saturated
Does facilitated or passive diffusion have a faster initial rate
Facilitated
What form does the energy take in primary and secondary active transport
Primary - ATP
Secondary - Proton motive force
What active transporter is used in primary active transport - What kind of transport protein is it
ABC transporter
Uniporter
What are the outcomes of a build up of protons on one side of a membrane
pH difference
Electrical difference
How does PMF support movement of molecules in symport
The proton can move across a membrane into a -vely charged space with a neutral or -vely charged molecule
How does PMF support movement of molecules in antiport
The proton can ‘switch places’ with a anion or neutral molecule in a -vely charged space
How does PMF support movement of molecules in uniport
Cation or anion is repelled by surrounding charges and enters or exits the cytoplasm
What is electrogenic and electroneutral transport
Genic - transport that leads to a change in charge across the membrane
Neutral - Transport that does not lead to a change in charge across the membrane
3 general steps in the carbon cycle
- Autotrophs use CO2 in the atmosphere to build cells
- Autotrophs die and the carbon is trapped in the ground which will be released by decomposers back into the atmosphere
- Autotrophs are eaten and CO2 is respired by heterotrophs
Outline the 4 steps in the nitrogen cycle
- Nitrogen fixation - Nitrogen gas is reduced to ammonia then to organic nitrogenous molecules
- Ammonification - Organic nitrogenous molecules are converted back into ammonia
- Nitrification - Ammonia is oxidised to form nitrite which is further oxidised to form nitrate
- Denitrification - Nitrate is reduced back into nitrogen gas and released
Outline the 4 steps in the sulphur cycle
- Sulphur is washed to oceans by rain
- Algae consumes sulphur to form DMSP
- DMSP is broken down to produce DMS gas
- DMS dissolves in water in the atmosphere and is drawn back into the soil when it rains
What is a defined medium
Medium when all components and their concentration are known
What is a complex media and when is it used
Medium containing some ingredients of unknown composition and concentration
Nutritional requirements of a microbe are unknown
What is a selective media - give 1 example
Media tailored to favour the growth of some microbes and inhibit the growth of others
MacConkey agar - favours growth of gram -ve bacteria
What is the purpose of differential media
Allows you to distinguish between difference microbes based on their biological characteristics
Give 3 examples of how microbial growth is applied industrially
Primary and secondary biofuels
Waste water treatment
Bioremediation and bioaugmentation
