Prokaryotes
These two domains of life consist entirely of single-celled organisms lacking a true nucleus and membrane-bound organelles.
What are Archaea and Bacteria?
In this mechanism of horizontal gene transfer, DNA is exchanged directly from a donor cell to a recipient cell via a physical bridge called a pilus.
What is conjugation?
The fundamental defining feature that separates all eukaryotes from prokaryotes is the presence of this structure, which houses the genetic material.
What is the nucleus?
Unlike plants that fix their own carbon, fungi secrete enzymes to break down and absorb nutrients from their environment, classifying them as this type of organism.
What are heterotrophs?
This is the general term for the mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship between fungi and the roots of most vascular plants.
What are mycorrhizae?
While bacteria have cell walls made of peptidoglycan, organisms in this domain often lack it entirely and are known for thriving in extreme environments.
What is Archaea?
This method of DNA exchange occurs when a bacteriophage virus mistakenly packages bacterial DNA and injects it into a new host cell.
What is transduction?
This evolutionary theory explains how early eukaryotic cells engulfed aerobic bacteria and cyanobacteria, which eventually evolved into mitochondria and chloroplasts.
What is endosymbiosis?
A major defining feature distinguishing fungi from plants and other eukaryotes is the presence of this tough structural carbohydrate in their cell walls.
What is chitin?
Unlike arbuscular mycorrhizae, these types of mycorrhizae do not penetrate the plant root cells, but instead form a dense sheath around the outside of the roots.
What are ectomycorrhizae?
Unlike archaea, bacteria possess cell walls constructed from this specific polymer network of sugars and amino acids.
What is peptidoglycan?
A prokaryote that actively takes up naked, free-floating DNA from its surrounding environment is performing this process.
What is transformation?
The highly diverse group that is classified as neither a plant, an animal, nor a fungus.
What is a protist?
These microscopic, thread-like filaments form the basic structural unit of most fungi, facilitating vegetative growth and nutrient absorption.
What is hyphae?
In the entire life cycle of a basidiomycete, the only true diploid cells exist briefly in these microscopic, club-shaped structures right before meiosis occurs.
What are basidia?
During protein synthesis, translation in bacteria uniquely begins with this specific, modified amino acid.
What is formylmethionine (or fMet)?
Organisms utilizing this specific metabolic strategy obtain their necessary carbon from organic molecules while harnessing their energy directly from sunlight.
What are photoheterotrophs?
Amoebas move and capture food by extending these temporary, lobe-like cellular projections.
What are pseudopodia?
The mass of interconnected fungal filaments that makes up the main vegetative body of a fungus hidden in the soil or a host is known by this term.
What is mycelium?
The process in the Fungi life cycle that fuses the nuclei of a cell together to form a diploid nucleus.
What is Karyogamy?
In a trait shared with eukaryotes but not bacteria, protein synthesis in archaea initiates with this unmodified amino acid.
What is methionine?
Chemolithoautotrophs extract energy by oxidizing these types of non-carbon substances, such as hydrogen sulfide or ammonia.
What are inorganic compounds?
Members of the Alveolata supergroup are distinguished by having these small, sac-like vesicles located directly beneath their plasma membranes.
What are alveoli?
In this highly successful mutualistic relationship, a fungus provides structure and moisture while a photosynthetic partner like green algae provides food.
What is a lichen?
In a basidiomycete life cycle, the fusion of two haploid hyphae results in a prolonged vegetative state where cells contain two distinct nuclei, known by this term.
What is dikaryotic?