NCEA Level 1 Microorganisms

Absorb

Movement of materials through a membrane.

active immunity

Immune response In the body initiated by an invading foreign substance -an infection or an immunisation

aerobic respiration

Respiration that is carried out with oxygen present.

Agar plates

Plates of agar containing nutrients used for culturing micro-organisms.

anaerobic respiration

Respiration that is carried out in the absence of oxygen.

Antibodies

Proteins produced by the body as part of the immune response.

Antigens

A substance that the body treats as foreign and initiates an immune response.

Autotrophic

Organisms that make their own food

Bacillus

A bacterium that is rod shaped.

Bacteria

Micro-organisms that are singled celled and lack a nuclear membrane. There are many different types.

Binary fission

The process by which bacteria reproduce.

Capsid/protein coat

Outer protein coat of a virus

Budding

A process of asexual reproduction that involves a bud forming from the body of the parent. It detaches to form a new individual.

Carbon cycle

A cycle in which carbon is used and reused throughout the ecosystem.

Cell membrane

The semi permeable membrane forming the outer boundary of the cell. Controls what enters and exits the cell.

Cell wall

Outer layer of a cell that is ridged and in plants and most algae it is made of cellulose.

filli

Very small hair like structures that protrude from cells.is responsable for attachment.

Coccus

Spherical shaped bacteria.

Colony

A group of individual cells that have developed from a single parent cell.

communicable

An infection that can be passed between individuals.

Competition

Interaction between individuals or populations over factors that they share or that overlap, e.g. mates, food, light or shelter.

Composting

Organic matter that is being decayed by micro-organisms such as fungi and bacteria, usually used as a fertiliser to enhance soils.

Contaminated

In this context it is when unwanted micro-organisms are present on agar plates.

Contagious

An infection that is easily passed from one organism to another.

Control

duplicate setup in an experiment with everything identical except for the variable you are testing.

Culture

Microorganisms grown for a specific use, e.g. a group of bacteria grown on nutrient agar under specific conditions.

Cytoplasm

Jelly like substance found in a cell. It is a matrix in which the cells organelles are suspended.

Decomposition/decay

The chemical breakdown of matter.

Denitrification

Chemical process carried out by denitrifying bacteria that breaks down nitrates in the soil to N2 that is released into the atmosphere.

Diffusion

Natural process in which particles move from a high conc. to a low conc. until an even distribution of particles occurs.

Digestion

Process that breaks down food particles into smaller forms that can be easily absorbed and assimilated by the body.

Disease

Occurs when the normal functioning of body cells, tissues or organs is disrupted.

Disease transmission

The spread of a disease form one organism to another.

disinfectants and antiseptics

antimicrobial agents that are applied to the surface of non-living objects to destroy microorganisms that are living on the objects.

Dormant

An inactive period in which growth stops.

Ecosystem

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

Energy

Is produced by respiration in cells and used to carry out other life processes.

Environment

The chemical, physical and biological aspects of the area in which an organism lives.

Enzymes

Biological catalysts that speed up chemical reactions in living things

Epidemic

An outbreak of a disease affecting large numbers of organisms in a population at the same time.

Eukaryote

A cell that contains a nucleus and membrane bound organelles

Excreted

The process of an organism getting rid of its wastes.

Extracellular

Outside the cell.

extracellular digestion

Digestion that takes place outside of the cell.

Fermentation

A form of anaerobic respiration. Used in the production of some foods and drinks.

food poisoning

an illness usually caused by eating food that contains harmful bacteria

extremophiles

Bacteria that live in extreme environments.

Flagellum

A long, whiplike structure that helps a cell to move

Fungi

A group of microorganisms that can exist as either unicellular or multicellular. Yeasts and moulds.

Genetic material

May be in the form of DNA or RNA. Contains information for the cell to make proteins.

Genetically engineered

Technique that involves altering the organism by inserting genes from one another organism into its DNA.

Growth curve

The rate at which a colony of micro- organisms' increases in number.

Heterotrophic

An organism that cannot make its own food.

Host

Cell or organism that provides food, shelter or in the case of viruses; essential processes required for replication.

Hyphae

A filament in fungi that secretes digestive enzymes onto substrate.

Immune system

Part of the body that is involved with fighting foreign substances.

Immunity

State of an organism that is not susceptible to a specific disease.

Incubate

The right conditions, e.g. temperature, moisture, pH, nutrients for a micro-organism to survive.

Infection

The invasion of a living organism by a pathogen.

Inflammation

Immune response by the body to a pathogen / foreign substance. Usually produces symptoms such as redness, swelling, heat.

Inoculation

The placing of a small amount of a bacterial or fungi colony on a culture medium.

Lymphocytes

Type of white blood cell formed in the lymph nodes and help fight infections.

Microorganism

An organism that can only be seen with the use of a microscope.

Moulds

Type of fungi

Mucus

A type of slimy substance.

Multicellular

Many cells working together to form an organism.

Mycelium

A mass of hyphae that form the body of a fungus.

Nitrification

The process that turns the nitrogen (mostly ammonia) in decaying organic matter into nitrates by nitrifying bacteria in the soil.

nitrogen fixation

Chemical process by nitrogen fixing bacteria that takes N2 from the atmosphere and assimilates it into organic compounds for use by plants.

Nutrient agar

A jelly like substance that contains nutrients for growing micro-organisms.

Nutrients

Any substance that a living organism requires for nutrition. Either for energy or structural growth.

nutrient availability

meeting the energy needs of organisms

opportunistic pathogens

Disease causing organisms that quickly takes any opportunity to infect hosts.

Organisms

An individual living system that carries out MRS C GREN. It can be unicellular or multicellular.

Oxygen

An essential substance aerobic respiration.

Parasites

An organism that lives in or on a host organism that causes damage or harm to its host.

parasitic bacteria

Feed on living tissues. Cause harm and disease.

Passive Immunity

Short term immunity against a pathogen gained from either breast milk or colostrum or can be a vaccination of antibodies.

Pathogen

An organism that causes disease

pH

Indicates the acidity or alkalinity of a substance

Phagocytes

A cell that is part of the immune response. It engulfs and breaks down foreign particles. The process is called phagocytosis.

Photosynthesis

Cellular process of reactingCO2 and H2O using light to produce glucose and oxygen. It requires chlorophyll and only occurs in producers.

Prokaryote

A unicellular organism that lacks a nucleus and membrane bound organelles

Recycling

The movement of essential elements around an ecosystem.

Replication

In this context it is the copying of genetic material to form new viruses.

Reproduce

To produce offspring.

reproductive hyphae

Hyphae that contain sporangium full of spores.

Respiration

A cellular process that uses oxygen and water and glucose to form energy and carbon dioxide.

saprophytes

An organism that feeds off dead or decaying matter.

secrete

The movement of a substance produced by the organism to outside the cell.

septic tank

A structure used to contain waste from toilets and grey water systems from a house.

sewage

Faeces and organic waste matter that may come from animal or human sources that is dissolved or suspended in water.

slime capsule

A layer of slime that is found on the outer most part of some micro-organisms.

spirillum

bacterium shaped like a spiral.

sporangium

A reproductive structure in fungi that produces spores.

spores

Is a reproductive cell. It can develop into an individual when favourable conditions are present.

sterile

Free from contamination of microorganisms.

substrate

A substance which fungi and bacteria are able to secrete enzymes and gain nutrition for growth and reproduction.

symptoms

Any change or sensation experienced by an organism that is associated with a disease.

Tail Fibres

a hollow tube which genetic material passes through during infection.