Chapter 1
Name 3 products we wouldn't have without microbes.
a variety of foods, pest resistant crops, antibiotics, etc.
How are wavelength, numerical aperture, and resolution related?
As wavelength decreases, numerical aperture and resolution increase.
List 10 structures that may be found in/on a bacterial cell.
plasma membrane, outer membrane, cell wall, flagella, pili, fimbriae, capsule, granules, vesicles, ribosomes, nucleoid, plasmid, endospore, cytoplasm
What is the difference between classification and identification?
Classification: Placing organisms in groups of related
species. Lists of characteristics of known organisms.
Identification: Matching characteristics of an
“unknown” organism to lists of known organisms.
Give an example of an autotrophic microbe.
algae, some bacteria, some archaea
What is an ideal scenario to use dark field microscopy?
unstained/difficult to stain sample
What is the special waxy lipid found on acid-fast bacteria?
mycolic acid
What was wrong with the two kingdom system?
It only accounted for plantae and animalia. No place for fungi, protozoa, bacteria, archaea.
Differentiate recombinant DNA technology from gene therapy.
Recombinant DNA technology: introducing DNA from one organism into another
Gene therapy: missing or defective genes in human cells can be edited/replaced
How to we adjust the brightness of our microscopes in microbiology? How don't we do it?
How do the runs and tumbles of a bacterial cell differ when moving toward or away from a stimulus?
Positive taxis: moving toward stimulus, longer runs with fewer tumbles
Negative taxis: moving away from stimulus, shorter runs with more tumbles
Viruses are not living cells identified with the general system we use for all other species. What characteristics do we use to classify viruses?
nucleic acid type, morphology, host organisms, type of disease
What is cell theory?
all living things are composed of cells and
come from preexisting cells
Compare and contrast SEM and TEM.
Scanning: view the surface of the microbe
Transmission: higher resolution and magnification, view of internal structures
Both: produces greyscale images that can be digitally colored, uses electrons instead of visible light
(More possible answers)
How could antibiotics target a bacterial infection with minimal damage to the patient?
Selective toxicity: the antibiotic could target structures that the human cells don't have, such as components of the cell wall
What is the difference between taxonomy and phylogeny?
Taxonomy: classification
Phylogeny: evolutionary history
They're interrelated.
Your gut bacteria are wiped out by an aggressive antibiotic. What is a possible negative consequence?
pathogenic microbes face much less competition and may flourish and cause disease
What is a mordant? Give an example.
a compound used to hold down molecules of a stain onto a microorganism, such as the Iodine in a Gram stain (also used in flagella staining)
Describe bacterial sporulation and germination.
Sporulation: process of cell creating and releasing endospore
Germination: process of endospore transforming back into a vegetative cell
Explain endosymbiotic theory.
Ancestors of mitochondria and chloroplasts entered into, lived within, and co-evolved with their eukaryotic hosts.