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Bi374 > Nutrient Movement > Flashcards

Nutrient Movement Flashcards

1
Q

What is nutrient movement and metabolic diversity

A

study of the interaction of microorganisms with each other and their physical environment

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2
Q

What is an ecosystem and what does it consist of?

A
  • a community of organisms and their natural environment
  • consists of physical things (organisms) and the abiotic environment
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3
Q

Define abiotic

A

physio-chemical parameters of environment

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4
Q

Does structure always translate to function? Explain.

A
  • no, some clusters of genes/triggers can be missing
  • sometimes they aren’t regularly expressed (some factors may give competitive advantage + also help with antibiotic resistance
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5
Q

Define population

A

a single colony arisen from an individual cell

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6
Q

Define guild

A

metabolically related group of organisms (can survive in same environment)

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7
Q

What does it mean when organisms can exist in the same environment?

A

complementary metabolism

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8
Q

Define community

A

total collection of all organisms in population (multiple guilds)

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9
Q

What is important to consider when looking at ecosystems?

A
  • energy flow
  • nutrient cycling
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10
Q

What is an anoxic anaerobe?

A

does not need oxygen at all

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11
Q

What are the 2 main objectives of microbial ecology?

A
  • biodiversity
  • measure of activities
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12
Q

What is the importance of biodiversity?

A
  • nutrients are cycled - if not they are hung up and system would not survive
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13
Q

What is the importance of measuring activity?

A
  • they work in parallel with functional profile
  • monitor effects on ecosystem
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14
Q

What is required for organisms to reproduce?

A
  • nutrients and appropriate environmental conditions (abiotic)
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15
Q

What are some examples of abiotic conditions?

A
  • temp
  • pH
  • Water activity (aw)
  • Oxygen
  • Nutrients
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16
Q

What is Aw?

A

water activity - has least amount of room for change

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17
Q

What is a niche and what does it include?

A
  • the functional role of an organism, where it is functionally active
  • location, nutrients used
18
Q

What is a microenvironment?

A
  • habitat and conditions where microorganism lives
  • can be highly changeable (heterogeneous) because they are small
  • permits growth of physiologically distinct groups
19
Q

What is the difference between niche and microenvironment?

A
  • a niche is where the microorganism is FUNCTIONAL
  • a microenvironment is where the microorganism is FOUND
20
Q

Explain what growth of physiologically distinct groups means

A
  • they can be near one another
  • ex. e.coli is facultative anaerobe and will layer to grab O2 as it cycles through –> protects anoxic anaerobes
21
Q

What does facultative anaerobe mean and what is an example?

A
  • capable of switching from aerobic to anoxic if needed
  • ex. E. Coli
22
Q

What are causes of slow growth rates in nature?

A
  • low nutrient supply or non-uniform distribution
  • competition for resources
23
Q

Why is exponential growth slower in nature than in lab?

A
  • conditions are harder to find in nature
  • lab is specialized and can add nutrients/oxygen when needed but it is not readily available in nature
  • competition
24
Q

Where is microbial growth optimal in natural environment (location)? Why?

A

When attached to a surface because they have higher levels of absorbed nutrients and more moisture

25
Q

What is a good analogy to explain why microbes find it optimal to be attached to a surface?

A
  • bouncing around a classroom while trying to catch a ball (nutrients)
26
Q

What attaches to surfaces first?

A

Chemical particles due to charge and surface tension

27
Q

What are pioneer organisms?

A

first set of organisms to scavenge a new surface

28
Q

Define biofilm

A
  • community/colony embedded in an organic polymer matrix attached to a surface
29
Q

What is an organic polymer matrix?

A

extracellular polymer substance/exopolysaccharide

30
Q

Define microbial mat, give an example

A
  • complex macroscopic layered microbial communities (can see with naked eye)
  • edge of a beach
31
Q

List areas that biofilms cause significant negative impact

A
  • artificial implants
  • dental disease
  • reduced water flow in pipelines
  • portable water quality
  • degradation and corrosion increase
32
Q

list areas that biofilms are useful

A
  • leaching of low grade ores (need it to extract)
  • food fermentation (want it in GI tract)
  • filtration (clean it)
33
Q

What is a low grade ore?

A

ore with low concentration of metals

34
Q

Define competition

A

when multiple organisms acquire same resource (nutrients/space)

35
Q

What do microbial interactions depend on?

A
  • rates of nutrient uptake
  • metabolic and growth rates (some are different and can co-exist)
36
Q

Define the competitive exclusion principle

A
  • if you compete long enough, one group is bound to lose
37
Q

Define antagonism

A
  • one microorganism inhibits growth/metabolism of another
  • excretion of inhibitor or toxic metabolite
38
Q

Define syntrophy

A
  • 2 or more organisms WORK TOGETHER to carry out transformation they cannot do individually
39
Q

What is the difference between antagonism and syntropy in regard to “running a race”

A
  • antagonism = sticking out foot to trip
  • syntropy = simply racing
40
Q

Why is syntropy important?

A
  • nutrients do not cycle properly without multiple organisms (each do a different transformation)
41
Q

What is partial nitrification

A
  • chemical transformation faster than biological, may deprive particular group
  • competition
  • biological transformation keeps things moving

Bi374 (8 decks)

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