biological classification
what is taxonomy
the science dealing with the description, identification, naming, and classifying of organisms
what are methanogens
live in oxygen free environment, like the digestive tracts of cows or buried in the muck at the bottom of the marshes and swamps
what is a pathogen
an organism that causes disease
what's the difference between photoautotrophs and chemoautotrophs
photosynthetic bacteria
chemosynthetic bacteria that convert energy from inorganic molecules instead of sunlight
what is virology
the study of the nature of viruses
what is binomial nomenclature
naming and organism with its genus and species name
what are halophiles
salt-loving; live in environments with extremely high salt concentrations, like Utah’s Great Salt Lake
what 3 characteristics do biologists use to identify and classify bacteria
cell shape
cell wall structure
method of movement
what's the difference between photoheterotrophs and chemoheterotrophs
grows on just about anything you like to eat if not properly handled (mold)
converting energy stored in bonds of organic compounds into energy they can use for their cell functions
what is a virus
a noncellular infectious agent that has 2 characteristics: (1) it has genetic material (DNA or RNA) inside a protective protein coat, (2) it cannot reproduce on its own; it must infect a living cell
what is an antibiotic
a chemical secreted by a living organism that kills or reduces the reproduction rate of other organisms
what are thermophiles
heat-loving; live in environments where temperatures approach the boiling point of water, like the hot springs at Yellowstone or in deep-sea hydrothermal vents
what are the 3 basic shapes of bacteria
round-shaped (coccus)
rod-shaped (bacillus)
spiral-shaped (spirillum)
what is an endospore
a thick internal wall (made of several hard layers), produced by the bacterium, that encloses its DNA and other essential parts
what is the lytic cycle
a virus enters a cell, hijacks the host cell’s DNA replication system, makes copies of itself, and causes the cell to burst, releasing even more viruses
what is leaf c
elm
true or false: archaea's cell walls contain peptidoglycan
false
what's the difference between gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria
Gram-negative are red-pink and have a thin cell wall
Gram-positive are blue-purple and have a thick cell wall
list and define the 3 types of genetic recombination in bacteria
Conjugation: a temporary union of 2 organisms for the purpose of DNA transfer
Transformation: the transfer of a DNA segment from a nonfunctional donor cell to that of a functional recipient cell
Transduction: the process in which infection by a virus results in DNA being transferred from one bacterium to another
what is the lysogenic cycle
a virus enters a cell, embeds its DNA into the DNA of the host cell, and is replicated along with the host cell’s DNA
list the taxonomic classification system
domain
kingdom
phylum
class
order
family
genus
species
can archaea cause diseases in humans
no
what's the difference between obligate aerobes and obligate anaerobes
Obligate aerobes: bacteria that requires a constant supply of oxygen for cellular respiration to take place (e. Coli in animal intestines)
Obligate anaerobes: bacteria that cannot live in the presence of oxygen - they’re poisoned by it (c. botulinum in food poisoning/botulism)
Most pathogenic bacteria cause disease by producing 1 of 2 types of toxins. What are these toxins?
Exotoxin: poisonous proteins produced as part of bacterial growth and metabolism - shoots out of the bacteria
Endotoxin: poisonous lipid in the bacterium’s cell wall that gets released when the bacterium dies and the cell wall begins to break up
immune system/WBC and vaccines