Week 3 Day 3 Microbiomes

A particular assemblage of microbes, including their genes, that are associated with a particular environment.

What is a microbiome?

What three main types of organisms are contained within a microbiome?

Bacteria, viruses, and fungi.

What type of highly targeted sequencing allows researchers to analyze genetic variation in specific genomic regions?

Amplicon sequencing.

What are amplicons in the context of genetic analysis?

Fragments of DNA or RNA that are the source or product of amplification and replication events.

A collection of all the mRNAs present in an environmental sample, produced by all organisms in that sample at a particular time.

What is a meta-transcriptome?

What term describes all the proteins produced by all the members of a microbiome?

Metaproteome.

The collection of information about the types and abundances of molecules produced by metabolism by an entire microbiome.

What is a meta-metabolome?

An aggregation of microorganisms that secrete adhesive mucilage, thereby gluing themselves to surfaces.

What is a biofilm?

What are the stages of biofilm formation

1. attachment

2. formation of microcolony

3. formation of matrix

4. mature biofilm dispersion

How do organisms in a microbiome communicate chemically?

They secrete chemicals that are sensed by other organisms in the area.

Chemical communication allows organisms in a microbiome to respond to fluctuations in the number of what?

Organisms.

What is the basis for electrical communication within a microbiome? What is it mediated by?

Endogenous bioelectricity, involving changes in membrane potential mediated by ion channels.

Which three ions mediate changes in membrane potential for electrical communication in microbiomes?

Calcium, sodium, and chloride.

What is nitrogen fixation as a microbiome function?

The removal of atmospheric nitrogen and its reduction to ammonia.

What is methane oxidation as a microbiome function?

The removal of methane from the atmosphere and its oxidation to carbon dioxide and water.

What are beneficial products of microbiota metabolism referred to as?

Metabolite production.

Name three physical environments that serve as habitats for microbiomes.

Atmosphere, oceans, ice, fresh water, soils, or other living organisms (hosts).

What three bacterial taxa have been identified in near-surface layers of urban air microbiomes?

Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Firmicutes.

What else has been found in air samples, indicating a diverse atmospheric microbiome?

DNA for bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotic microbes.

What term refers to Earth's icy environments that contain vast numbers of microbes?

Cryosphere.

The study of Earth's cold microbiomes may provide insight into the possibility of life on which planet?

Mars.

What genus of colony-forming cyanobacteria is found in fresh water and can produce a toxin?

Microcystis.

What toxin is produced by the cyanobacterial genus Microcystis?

Microcystin.

How can soil microbiomes benefit plants?

By providing nutrients and protection from other pathogens.

The combination of a host organism and its microbiome.

What is a holobiont?

The combined genomes of a host organism and its microbiome.

What is a hologenome?

How do mammals primarily transmit microbes to their offspring during birth?

Through the birth canal.

How else can mammalian mothers transmit microbiota to their young?

Through the mother's milk.

How do some insects ensure their offspring acquire a microbiome?

They coat their eggs with bacteria.

How do newborn bees typically acquire their microbiomes?

From sibling worker bees.

How can microbiota be transmitted to plant progeny?

Through seeds or spores.

How do plants actively recruit microbes from their environment?

They secrete chemicals that attract microbes.

A complex mutualistic association between fungi and other microbes, like photosynthetic green algae or cyanobacteria.

What is a lichen?

What is the term for the flat, leaflike body form of a lichen?

Foliose.

What is the term for the flat lichen body form that is tightly adhered to surfaces?

Crustose.

What is the term for the lichen body form that is upright or hangs from tree branches?

Fruticose.

Where are aboveground microbiomes located on a plant?

On leaf surfaces and stems.

List two functions of a plant's aboveground microbiome.

Nutrient mobility/absorption, stimulating plant growth, or reducing diseases.

Where are subterranean microbiomes located on a plant?

On and in the roots.

List two functions of a plant's subterranean root microbiome.

Protection from disease/destruction, providing nutrients, or nitrogen fixation.

What is one function of gut microbiota in insects related to harmful substances?

Toxin degradation.

What influences the composition of a microbiome besides the host's environment?

Genetics.

how are microscopes used in species identification

scanning or transmission electron

how is blood falls formed in anarctica

Blood Falls (like a waterfall but blood) is caused by Iron being released from bacteria in microbiomes

babies get their microbiomes from what first and then what second

mother then environment

this type of milk feeding supports actively builds and feeds beneficial gut bacteria

breastfeeding

this type of milk feeding supports growth, but shapes a different gut microbiome pattern

formula

non-digestive fibers, they feed the microbiota that you already have, making them stronger

prebiotics

____ treatment introduces one or more microbial strain into a host's microbiome to improve health

probiotic

bacteria of this creature can be cultivated in a lab, genetically transformed and re-introduced to the colony to give them resistance to pathogens and mites

honeybees

this creature is important to food production and can attach by viruses and Varroa mites

honeybees

microbiome composition is influenced by what (2)

1. environment

2. genetics

how can soil microbiomes be harmful

take nutrients from other plants