BIOL 2261 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Electron Microscope, Glycocalyx, Protozoa

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silvermink139

26 Aug 2016

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There are two types of prokaryotes: bacteria and archaea (archaea. A. are not discussed in this class because most live in such extreme environments that humans could never come in contact with them and they do not spread infectious diseases to so humans) Pro- means before and kary- means nucleus, so prokaryotes are. All prokaryotes are unicellular (protozoa and some fungi are also. Is size terms, viruses are the smallest of the microorganisms, most of which must been visualized using an electron microscope (there may be 5 viruses that can be seen using a light/compound microscope). Bacteria are slightly larger with a few still needing to be seen using an electron microscope, but most can been seen using a light microscope. Protozoa and fungi are the largest; most still need to be seen with a light microscope, however some may be visible with the human eye. There are 3 common shapes and then variations of those.

Related Questions

Fungi Fungi are the great decomposers of the biosphere. Most plants form mycorrhizae with fungi to increase absorptive area without having to grow more roots, in this relationship fungi recieve carbohydrates from plants. Humans consume fungi, mushrooms, may use fungi as a source of drugs for blood pressure, antibiotics and immunosuppresive drugs. Fungi are used in biotechnology to produce fermetation products, and some have been very useful models to study gentics in eukaryotic cells that are unicellular such as yeasts. About one third of fungi may cause infections, mycoses, in plants, animals and humans. Fungi tolerate concentration of salt and sugar that plasmolyze bacteria in perserved foods exposed to air which contains fungal spores may germinate and may spoil food. Fungi have two body shapes, molds and yeasts. Mold are large and made of long filamentous hyphae. Hyphae form mats called mycelium ( plural is mycelia). Mycelia may extend for miles underground, making fungi the largest organism on earth. The visible portion of subterrean fungi are the fruitng bodies such as mushrooms. Yeasts are globular and unicellular. They may bud forming up 24 daughter cells from a single cell. When budding is incomplete it may produce a psuedohypa. Fungi that may exist in both body types are dimorphic fungi. In general, the yeast form of a dimorphic fungus is a pathogen, the filamentous form is not pathogenic. Examples are Histoplasmosis capsulatum (histoplasmosis) and Coccidiodes immitis (coccidioidomycosis). Fungi are saprobes, they absorb nutrients from the remains of dead plants or they lasso nematodes. Fungi may derive nutrients from a living plant utilizing haustoria which are modified hyphae that penetrate living plant tissue. Some fungi use melanin to absorb gamma rays which they convert to chemical energy. Some herbivores have fungi in thier gut microbiome to help digest plants. Zygomycota contains 1100 species and reproduces asexually through sporangiaspores, which form in a sac called a sporangium on a stalk called a sporangiaphore. An example is Nosema which is an obligate intracellular parasite in insects and honeybees. Ascomycota havd 32,000 species form haploid ascospores in sacs called ascus (asci plura) and reproduce asexually with condiospores which develop on the tips of hyphae on stalks called conidiophores. Examples are Claviceps purpurea, ergot, which grows on grain and causes abortions in cattle and hallucinations in humans. Penicillium the source of the first antibiotic discovered by Fleming in the 1940s. Saccharomyces, a facultative anaerobe, ferments sugar to produce alcohol and carbon dioxide gas and is used in baking and brewing. Neurospora was used as a model to study molecular biology, Beadle and Tatum established one gene one enzyme using this model organism.

14. Why are there more antibacterial drugs than antifungal drugs? Basidiomycota have fruiting bodies called basidiocarps. Basidiospores are dispersed by the wind and germinate in warm moist environments. An example is the pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans the leading cause of fungal meningitis

carmineantelope872

I need help on this microbiology question:

Contrary to our favorite science fiction books and movies, the chances of us finding another planet with a civilization comparable to, or even more advanced than our own, seems highly unlikely. But, through your work as a microbiologist at NASA, you have been able to help change our views as to what forms of life we should be looking for on planets in our solar system and around neighboring stars. Instead of radio signals or errant transmissions, we have begun looking for planets that have environments similar to those capable of sustaining life as we know it here on Earth. To determine what we could find out there, you have begun studying different unique and atypical environments found here on Earth. Although the harsh conditions of hot springs or undersea sulfur vents seem incompatible with most forms of life, organisms known collectively as "extremophiles" have still managed to survive and adapt to these extreme conditions. You believe extremophiles may help you gain insight into the potential metabolic requirements, processes, and challenges of extraterrestrial life. Thus far in your search, you have identified some prokaryotic cells that have evolved to survive in the extreme conditions of sulfur vents on the sea floor. These vents are found at great depths, where the crushing pressure and lack of light and oxygen are prohibitive to many forms of life. Bacteria that are not considered extremophiles reside in most ecological niches on this planet. There are some common criteria for the environment that would sustain these bacteria. Availability of water, pH that lies between 5 and 9, temperatures that will remain steady and below boiling; these are some of the characteristics that bacteria will require in their environment if they are to succeed. But in the environment of the ocean floor vents, not only is the pH of the water very low, but also the water temperature is unusually high due to the geologic activity that fuels the vents. Organisms that are adapted to such harsh conditions have necessarily evolved enzymes able to function beyond average optima, as well as a chemosynthetic metabolism capable of using vent organic and inorganic compounds as energy sources.

Part A - Comparable Earth Environments to Be Found on Another Planet

You identify the prokaryotic cells you've found as a species of bacteria. These bacteria appear to be living off of nutrients and sulfur compounds released from the vents on the sea floor. Over time, the bacteria must have evolved extreme metabolic and enzymatic capabilities to allow them to tolerate and even benefit from the extreme depths, the lack of oxygen, the low pH of the surrounding waters, high temperatures due to volcanic releases, and the unique nutrient source of the vents.

Choose the characteristics and their impact on enzyme activity that are not correct from the following statements. (more than one may be chosen)

Archaea are able to tolerate highly acidic pH environments and have proteins that will not denature in the low-pH environments that the bacteria are found in.

Archaea are able to colonize water that is at or above the boiling temperature due to high levels of disulfide bridges that maintain the three-dimensional structure of the enzyme.

Archaea are only able to survive exceedingly well at high temperatures due to the amount of activation energy required by their enzymes.

Archaea are able to grow in extremely shady or low-light conditions that allow for optimal enzyme activity.