Video Notes: Prokaryotes, Nitrogen Fixation, and Microbiome

Vocabulary flashcards covering nitrogen fixation, decomposition, microbiome, mutualistic and pathogenic bacteria, and bacterial toxins from the video notes.

Nitrogen fixation

Process by which certain prokaryotes convert atmospheric N2 into ammonia or related forms usable by plants.

Decomposers

Chemoheterotrophic prokaryotes that break down organic matter to recycle nutrients.

Chemical recycling

Nutrient cycling in ecosystems via microbial decomposition and processing.

Microbiome

The community of microorganisms living in and on the human body; includes bacteria that influence health.

Mutualistic bacteria

Bacteria that live in a host in a mutually beneficial relationship (e.g., gut bacteria aiding digestion).

Gut microbiota

500–1,000 species of mutualistic bacteria in the human intestines.

Pathogenic bacteria

Bacteria that cause disease in humans.

Bacterial infection

Invasion and multiplication of bacteria in body tissues causing illness.

Exotoxins

Toxins secreted by bacteria that cause disease by damaging host cells or disrupting physiology.

Endotoxins

Toxins released when bacteria die or undergo lysis; part of Gram-negative outer membrane (LPS).

Lipopolysaccharides (LPS)

Molecule in the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria; acts as an endotoxin and triggers immune responses.