Chap 5
These biological catalysts speed up chemical reactions without being permanently altered themselves.
Enzymes
This "energy currency" molecule is the primary product of catabolic pathways.
ATP
Most bacteria reproduce by this process, where one cell divides into two identical cells.
Binary Fission
These "cold-loving" microbes can grow at 0 degrees Celsius
Psychrophiles
The non-protein component of an enzyme, such as an iron or magnesium ion, is called this.
Cofactor
This metabolic process breaks down glucose into two molecules of pyruvic acid.
Glycolysis
This term refers to all chemical reactions within a living organism.
Metabolism
This phase of the bacterial growth curve involves intense metabolic activity but no increase in cell number.
Lag Phase
This is the most common pH range for the growth of most bacteria.
pH 6.5 to 7.5
This pathway is an alternative to glycolysis used by some bacteria to oxidize glucose without using glycolysis or the Pentose Phosphate pathway.
Entner-Doudoroff pathway
This is the final electron acceptor in aerobic respiration.
Oxygen (O2)
This type of inhibitor binds to the active site of an enzyme, blocking the substrate.
Competitive Inhibitor
These microbes require oxygen to live.
Obligate Aerobes
This type of culture medium suppresses the growth of unwanted microbes and encourages the growth of desired ones.
Selective Media
This enzyme neutralizes toxic superoxide free radicals by converting them into molecular oxygen and hydrogen peroxide.
Superoxide Dismutase (SOD)
This process releases energy from sugars and does not require oxygen or an electron transport chain.
Fermentation
During the Krebs cycle, these two molecules act as the primary electron carriers to the ETC.
NADH and FADH2
During this phase of growth, the number of microbial deaths balances the number of new cells produced.
Stationary Phase
This device is used to measure the turbidity of a liquid culture to estimate bacterial growth.
Spectrophotometer
This method of measuring microbial growth involves spreading a sample over a solid medium and counting the resulting colonies.
Plate Count (or Colony Count)
This mechanism uses a proton gradient across a membrane to generate ATP.
Chemiosmosis
These organisms use light as their energy source and CO2 as their main carbon source.
Photoautotrophs
These microbes can grow with or without oxygen but grow better when oxygen is present.
Facultative Anaerobes
This term refers to the time required for a cell to divide or a population to double.
Generation Time
This specific type of medium is used to grow anaerobic bacteria because it contains ingredients that chemically combine with dissolved oxygen.
Reducing Media