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Prokaryotes
Single-celled organisms that do not have a membrane-bound nucleus
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Peptidoglycan
A protein-carbohydrate compound found in bacterial cell walls
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Methanogens
Named for their unique way of getting energy: they convert hydrogen gas and carbon dioxide into methane gas
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Halophiles
"Salt-loving" archaea that live in environments that have very high salt concentrations
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Thermoacidophiles
Live in very acidic environments that have very high temperatures
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Bacilli
Rod-shaped bacteria
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Cocci
Sphere-shaped bacteria
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Spirilla
Spiralshaped bacteria
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Streptococci
When cocci occur in chains
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Staphylococci
Grapelike clusters of cocci
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Gram-negative Bacteria
Take up the 2nd, red dye of the Gram stain process which makes the cells appear reddish pink under the microscope
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Gram-positive Bacteria
Retain the purple dye in their cell walls and appear purple
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Antibiotics
Chemicals that inhibit the growth of or kill other microorganisms
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Plasmid
Small, circular, self-replicating loops of double-stranded DNA
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Capsule
Outer covering of polysaccharides
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Glycocalyx
A capsule made up of a fuzzy coat of sticky sugars
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Pili
Short, hairlike protein structures on the surfaceof some bacteria
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Endospore
A thick-coated, resistant structure that can form on some Gram-positive bacteria
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Heterotrophs
Organisms that get their carbon from other organisms
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Autotrophs
Organisms that get their carbon directly from the inorganic molecule carbon dioxide
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Phototrophs
Organisms that get energy from light
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Chemotrophs
Get energy from chemicals taken from the environment
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Obligate Anaerobes
Organisms that cannot live where molecular oxygen, O2, is present
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Facultative Anaerobes
Can live with or without oxygen
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Obligate Aerobes
Prokaryotes that need oxygen to live
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Transformation
Occurs when a prokaryote takes in DNA from its outside environment
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Conjugation
The process by which two prokaryotes bind together and one cell transfers DNA to the other cell through a structure called a sex pilus
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Transduction
A virus obtains a small part of DNA from a host prokaryote
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Pathology
The scientific study of disease
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Exotoxins
Toxic substances that bacteria secrete into their environment
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Endotoxins
Toxic substances made of lipids and carbohydrates associated with the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria
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Antibiotic Resistance
The evolution of populations of pathogenic bacteria that antibiotics are unable to kill
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Zoonosis
A disease that can pass from animals to humans
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Bioremediation
Harnessing bacteria to recycle compounds
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