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100

What is the Central Dogma of molecular biology?

DNA → RNA → Protein

100

What is chemotaxis?

Chemoreceptor proteins temporally sense changes in concentrations of attractants or repellents.

100

Why don't lysozymes degrade the cell walls of Archaea?

because β-1,3 linkages are insensitive

100

What is the lipid structure of Eukarya?

they have ester linkage

100

What is BUGS? 

Biology Undergraduate Students 

You might be wondering what we do: 

  • We rent lab coats, goggles, dissection kits and molecular modelling kits 
  • We have a microwave 
  • We do fun events (aka this one) 
  • Student Prof-Night (coming soon!)
200

What were the 3 requirements of early life?

  • Genetic information storage
  • Ability to catalyze biochemical reactions (ribozymes can do this) 
  • Separation of the cell interior from the external environment (micelles)
200

Bacteria are on average 1-2 micrometers long - but there are exceptions to bacteria size! Name an unusually large bacteria.

  • Thiomargarita namibiensis - up to 700 μm in diameter
  • Epulopiscium fishelsoni: 200‒700 μm x 80 μm


200

What is the purpose of the S-layer? 

  • protects against predators and viruses
  • mediates adhesion
200

What is the secretory pathway?

Rough ER → Golgi apparatus → secretory vesicles → cell exterior

200

Which bacteria forms fossils? 

cyanobacteria can trap sediment and sometimes secrete calcium carbonate

300

What were the 4 conditions on early Earth?

• little O2,reducing atmosphere
• significant amounts of H2 O, CH 4, CO2 , N2 , H2 , NH3
• high temperatures (e.g., >100°C)
• energy input from various sources, including UV light

300

What is peritrichous bacteria?

have flagella all over the surface of the body

300

What was the first discovered Archaea and name one place you can find them?

Methanogens

  • Anoxic sediments marshes/swamps, lakes, rice paddies, moist landfill
  • Animal digestive tracts
  • Geothermal H2/CO2 sources (hydrothermal vents)
  • Artificial biodegradation facilities
  • Endosymbiotes of anaerobic protozoa
300

What are the cell walls of Fungi, Algae, and Protozoa made of?

Chitin, Cellulose, and none (protozoa have no cell wall)

300

Where is the BUGS room? 

STC 1029 

Come hang out with us ;) 

400

Name three things that Louis Pasteur did

  • Found that microbes can differentiate between optical isomers (molecules that look the same ex. D-glucose and L-glucose)
  • Explained the microbial nature of alcoholic fermentation
  • Developed pasteurization (heating up to kill microbes)
  • Introduced basic hygiene and sanitization to hospitals
  • Developed vaccines for anthrax, fowl cholera, and rabies
  • Disproved spontaneous generation theory in the last 1800s
400

What is the purpose of a capsule?

  • Provide adhesion, defense against host immunity, protection against desiccation
  • Help bacteria form biofilms to provide protection and enhanced survivability in harsh environments
400

What phyla are included in the TACK superphylum?

  • Thaumarchaeota
  • Aigarchaeota
  • Crenarchaeota
  • Korarchaeota
400

What are 3 components of the cytoskeleton of Eukarya? 

  • Microtubules (tubulin)
  • Microfilaments (actin)
  •  Intermediate filaments (various proteins)


400

What is the experiment Josh Neufeld performed when he set something on fire? 

Volta experiment:

Inverted funnel traps CH4 from methanogenic freshwater sediments = flames ignite

500

Robert Koch's postulates: established basic rules for determining which microbes caused which diseases. The cause and effect are proven if (3 requirements):

  • the suspected microbe is identified in every person with the disease, but not those without the illness a pure culture of the suspected microbe is obtained
  • experimental inoculation of the suspected microbe into a healthy test host causes the same illness
  • the suspected microbe is found in the experimentally inoculated host organism


500

How do nutrients get through the cell wall?

  • Gram-positive peptidoglycan layer has large pores throughout its matrix
  •  Gram-negative cells have porins and TonB proteins in the outermembrane


500

Describe the relationship between Ignicoccus and Nanoarchaeum... 

Ignicoccus is the host, nanoarchaeum is a parasite.

500

Pick two members of the Fungal phylogeny and explain their functions. 

  • Chytridiomycota
  • Zygomycota
  • Glomeromycota
  • Ascomycota
  • Basidiomycota


  • Chytridiomycota: early branching, “watermolds”
  • Zygomycota: Rhizopus, bread mold, lab contamination
  • Glomeromycota: mycorrhizal fungi – extremely important for plants/trees.
  • Ascomycota: “spore shooters”, cup/sac fungi, yeast
  •  Basidiomycota: “spore droppers”, “club fungi”, traditional mushroom producing fungi


500

What is Ascus?

An ascus is a sac-like structure in fungi where sexual spores, called ascospores, are produced. It is characteristic of fungi in the phylum Ascomycota, also known as sac fungi.

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