BJU Press Biology Chapter 12--Prokaryotes and Viruses

archaea

prokaryotes that act as decomposers in extreme environments

peptidoglycan

a protein that protects the cell walls of bacteria and triggers other organisms’ immune systems

thermophiles

live in hot environments

methanogens

live in anaerobic environments, produce methane

halophiles

live in salty water

acidophiles

live in acidic places

bacterium/bacteria

prokaryotes, act as decomposers and break down old cells, proteins, and lipids

capsules

keep the bacteria from drying out, only found on bacteria cell walls

nucleoid

the DNA region of bacteria

flagellum/flagella

a filament that wiggles around to move the bacteria using a protein motor

transformation

when a bacterium takes a piece of free-floating bacterial DNA and becomes capable of forming a capsule

transduction

the transfer of genetic information from one bacterium to another by way of a bacteriophage

bacteriophage

a virus that infects bacteria

conjugation

the process in which a plasmid replicates and is transferred from one bacteria to another by use of a pilus, is a one-way exchange

microbiome

the home of organisms inside and on an organism

microbiota

the bacteria of your microbiome

pathogen

a substance that causes disease

virus

a carrier of genetic information that are not considered living

viroids

small infectious particles made of a sort, circular strand of RNA

prions

infectious particles made of abnormal proteins that contain no genetic information

lyse

burst open

lytic cycle

the rapid infection and destruction of a host cell that results in more virus particles

lysogenic cycle

the process in which a virus infects a cell but does not destroy it, allowing the cell to naturally divide and copy the virus’s genetic material

retroviruses

viruses that can force a cell to transcribe its RNA into the cell’s DNA