microbial taxonomy Flashcards
what is taxonomy
the science of biological classification
what 3 things does taxonomy encompass
classification, identification, nomenclature
list the order of the taxonomy hierarchy
domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species
T or F: for domain bacteria, there are no kingdoms
true!
what suffix does class end in
ia
what suffix does order end in
ales
what suffix does family end in
eae
define species
a collection of bacterial strains that have an overall collection of similar traits that differ from other groups
define what a strain is
there are strains within a species. A strain consists of the descendants of a single pure culture that differs in some way from members of the species
list some ways strains may differ from the species
biochemical/physiological differences (biovar)
morphology (morphovar)
antigenic differences (serovar)
what are the two methods for classifying and identifying microbes
classical and molecular
list the 4 classical approaches to classifying/identifying microves
assess morphological characteristics, physiological/metabolic characteristics, biochemical, or ecological
describe the assessment of morphological characteristics when classifying/identifying microbes
assess cell shape, size, colonial morphology, endospore shape/location, color
easy to do + analyze
describe the assessment of physiological/metabolic characteristics when classifying/identifying microbes
assess carbon/nitrogen/energy sources, fermentation products, motility, oxygen relationships, salt requirement/tolerance
describe the assessment of biological characteristics when classifying/identifying microbes
assessing the fatty acid profile. microbes of the same species will have the same types of FAs
what is the FAME technique + what does it stand for
fatty acid methyl ester. Technique is used to determine the fatty acid profile of a bacteria + FAs are extracted and analyzed by gas chromotography
list 3 ways in which fatty acid profiles are analyzed
chain length, degree of saturation, branched or unbranched chains
describe the assessment of ecological characteristics when classifying/identifying microbes
assess where the organism is found in the environment (ie habitat or host preference)
