Microbiology Chapter 1: Introduction to Microbes and Their Building Blocks

A set of 50 vocabulary flashcards derived from Chapter 1 introductory concepts including microbial types, historical figures, biochemical structures, and taxonomic classification.

Microbiology

A specialized area of biology that deals with living things ordinarily too small to be seen without magnification.

Microorganisms

Entities including bacteria, archaea, protozoa, fungi, helminths, algae, viruses, and prions.

Eukaryotes

Organisms characterized by having a "true nucleus" and membrane-bound organelles.

Bacteria

Single-celled organisms that lack a true nucleus and are predominantly single-celled.

Archaea

Single-celled organisms without a true nucleus that are distinct from bacteria and often live in extreme environments.

Prokaryotes

A term encompassing bacteria and archaea, meaning "pre-nucleus."

Akaryotes

An alternate term used for prokaryotes, meaning "no nucleus."

Ubiquitous

A term describing microbes because they are found nearly everywhere, from the earth's crust to inside the bodies of plants and animals.

Theory of Evolution

The accumulation of changes that occur in organisms as they adapt to their environments, representing well-established natural phenomena.

Anoxygenic Photosynthesis

A light-fueled process that occurred in bacteria before plants evolved, which did not produce oxygen.

Oxygenic Photosynthesis

Evolved from anoxygenic photosynthesis and is responsible for 70% of the earth's photosynthesis.

Biotechnology

The manipulation of genetics of microbes, plants, and animals for the purpose of creating new products and genetically modified organisms.

Genetic Engineering

A field that manipulates the genetics of organisms to create new products and GMOs.

Recombinant DNA Technology

Technology that makes it possible to transfer genetic material from one organism to another and deliberately alter DNA.

Bioremediation

The use of microbes already present or introduced intentionally to restore stability or clean up toxic pollutants.

Pathogens

Microbes that cause disease, with over 2,000 different types causing ten billion infections worldwide annually.

Organelles

Small, double-membrane-bound structures in eukaryotes that perform specific functions, such as the nucleus and mitochondria.

Viruses

Acellular entities composed of hereditary material (DNA or RNA) surrounded by a protein coat.

Prions

Infectious protein particles that contain no nucleic acid and are simpler than viruses.

Spontaneous Generation

The belief that invisible vital forces present in matter led to the creation of life, also known as abiogenesis.

Biogenesis

The scientific principle that living things arise only from others of the same kind.

Louis Pasteur

The scientist who used swan-necked flasks to disprove spontaneous generation and studied fermentation.

Robert Hooke

The individual who described cellular structures in the 1600s and drew sketches of "little structures" that seemed alive.

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek

The person who manufactured simple microscopes and observed "animalcules" in water and on teeth.

Joseph Lister

The scientist who introduced aseptic techniques in surgery to reduce post-surgical infections.

Koch's Postulates

A series of logical steps that establish whether an organism is pathogenic and which disease it causes.

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)

A technique invented in the 1980s to amplify tiny amounts of DNA for study.

Macromolecules

Very large molecules classified into four main types: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.

Monomers

The smaller subunits that serve as the building blocks for macromolecules.

Hexose

A 6-carbon sugar, such as glucose.

Pentose

A 5-carbon sugar, such as those found in nucleotides.

Cellulose

A polysaccharide found in the cell walls of plants and many microscopic algae.

Agar

A polysaccharide that is an important component of culture media.

Peptidoglycan

A structural component of the bacterial cell wall.

Lipopolysaccharide

A component found in the cell wall of gram-negative bacteria.

Glycocalyx

A protective outer layer of carbohydrates that functions in attachment and protection.

Triglycerides

Storage lipids composed of a single molecule of glycerol bound to three fatty acids.

Phospholipids

Membrane lipids containing a hydrophilic head and hydrophobic tails that form bilayers.

Steroids

Complex ringed compounds found in membranes, such as cholesterol which reinforces animal cell membranes.

Amino Acids

The 20 different building blocks that compose proteins.

Peptide

A molecule composed of short chains of amino acids.

Primary ($1^{\circ}$) Structure

The level of protein structure consisting of the specific type, number, and order of amino acids in the chain.

Secondary ($2^{\circ}$) Structure

Structure arising from hydrogen bonds between functional groups, forming alpha helices or beta pleated sheets.

Tertiary ($3^{\circ}$) Structure

The level of protein structure created by additional bonds, such as covalent disulfide bonds between cysteine amino acids.

Quaternary ($4^{\circ}$) Structure

The structure formed when more than one polypeptide forms a large, multiunit protein.

Enzymes

Protein molecules that act as catalysts for all chemical reactions in cells.

Denatured

The disruption of the functional three-dimensional form of a protein by heat, acid, or alcohol.

ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate)

The energy molecule of cells, consisting of adenine, ribose, and three high-energy phosphate molecules.

Taxonomy

The science of classifying living things, developed by Carl Von Linné.

Binomial System of Nomenclature

A method of naming where the scientific name is a combination of the genus and species names.