Openstax Biology - Chapter 22 - Prokaryotes Bacteria & Archaea

Front 1

acidophile

Back 1

organism with optimal growth pH of three or below

Front 2

alkaliphile

Back 2

organism with optimal growth pH of nine or above

Front 3

ammonification

Back 3

process by which ammonia is released during the decomposition of nitrogen- containing organic compounds

Front 4

anaerobic

Back 4

refers to organisms that grow without oxygen

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anoxic

Back 5

without oxygen

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antibiotic

Back 6

biological substance that, in low concentration, is antagonistic to the growth of prokaryotes

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biofilm

Back 7

microbial community that is held together by a gummy-textured matrix

Front 8

biological nitrogen fixation

Back 8

conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia exclusively carried out by prokaryotes

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bioremediation

Back 9

use of microbial metabolism to remove pollutants

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biotechnology

Back 10

any technological application that uses living organisms, biological systems, or their derivatives to produce or modify other products

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Black Death

Back 11

devastating pandemic that is believed to have been an outbreak of bubonic plague caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis

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botulism

Back 12

disease produced by the toxin of the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium botulinum

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CA-MRSA

Back 13

MRSA acquired in the community rather than in a hospital setting

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capsule

Back 14

external structure that enables a prokaryote to attach to surfaces and protects it from dehydration

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chemotroph

Back 15

organism that obtains energy from chemical compounds

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conjugation

Back 16

process by which prokaryotes move DNA from one individual to another using a pilus

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cyanobacteria

Back 17

bacteria that evolved from early phototrophs and oxygenated the atmosphere; also known as blue-green algae

Front 18

decomposer

Back 18

organism that carries out the decomposition of dead organisms

Front 19

denitrification

Back 19

transformation of nitrate from soil to gaseous nitrogen compounds such as N2O, NO and N2

Front 20

emerging disease

Back 20

disease making an initial appearance in a population or that is increasing in incidence or geographic range

Front 21

endemic disease

Back 21

disease that is constantly present, usually at low incidence, in a population

Front 22

extremophile

Back 22

organism that grows under extreme or harsh conditions

Front 23

foodborne disease

Back 23

any illness resulting from the consumption of contaminated food, or of the pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or other parasites that contaminate food

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Gram negative

Back 24

bacterium whose cell wall contains little peptidoglycan but has an outer membrane

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halophile

Back 25

organism that require a salt concentration of at least 0.2 M

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hydrothermal vent

Back 26

fissure in Earth’s surface that releases geothermally heated water

Front 27

hyperthermophile

Back 27

organism that grows at temperatures between 80–122 °C

Front 28

microbial mat

Back 28

multi-layered sheet of prokaryotes that may include bacteria and archaea

Front 29

MRSA

Back 29

very dangerous Staphylococcus aureus strain resistant to multiple antibiotics; also known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Front 30

nitrification

Back 30

conversion of ammonium into nitrite and nitrate in soils

Front 31

nitrogen fixation

Back 31

process by which gaseous nitrogen is transformed, or “fixed” into more readily available forms such as ammonia

Front 32

nodule

Back 32

novel structure on the roots of certain plants (legumes) that results from the symbiotic interaction between the plant and soil bacteria, is the site of nitrogen fixation

Front 33

nutrient

Back 33

essential substances for growth, such as carbon and nitrogen

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osmophile

Back 34

organism that grows in a high sugar concentration

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pandemic

Back 35

widespread, usually worldwide, epidemic disease

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peptidoglycan

Back 36

material composed of polysaccharide chains cross-linked to unusual peptides

Front 37

phototroph

Back 37

organism that is able to make its own food by converting solar energy to chemical energy

Front 38

pilus

Back 38

surface appendage of some prokaryotes used for attachment to surfaces including other prokaryotes

Front 39

pseudopeptidoglycan

Back 39

component of archaea cell walls that is similar to peptidoglycan in morphology but contains different sugars

Front 40

psychrophile

Back 40

organism that grows at temperatures of -15 °C or lower

Front 41

radioresistant

Back 41

organism that grows in high levels of radiation

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resuscitation

Back 42

process by which prokaryotes that are in the VBNC state return to viability

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S-layer

Back 43

surface-layer protein present on the outside of cell walls of archaea and bacteria

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serotype

Back 44

strain of bacteria that carries a set of similar antigens on its cell surface, often many in abacterial species

Front 45

stromatolite

Back 45

layered sedimentary structure formed by precipitation of minerals by prokaryotes in microbial mats

Front 46

teichoic acid

Back 46

polymer associated with the cell wall of Gram-positive bacteria

Front 47

thermophile

Back 47

organism that lives at temperatures between 60–80 °C

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transduction

Back 48

process by which a bacteriophage moves DNA from one prokaryote to another

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transformation

Back 49

process by which a prokaryote takes in DNA found in its environment that is shed by other prokaryotes

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viable-but-non-culturable state

Back 50

survival mechanism of bacteria facing environmental stress conditions; also known as VBNC

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zoonosis

Back 51

disease that primarily infects animals that is transmitted to humans

Front 52

epidemic

Back 52

disease that occurs in an unusually high number of individuals in a population at the same time

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Gram positive

Back 53

bacterium that contains mainly peptidoglycan in its cell walls