Bacteria and Archaea Lecture Notes

These flashcards cover key concepts related to bacteria and archaea, their characteristics, significance in health, ecology, and biotechnology.

What are the earliest organisms on Earth?

Bacteria and Archaea

What did Robert Koch establish in relation to infectious diseases?

He established the link between a specific species of bacterium and a specific disease.

What is the significance of Koch’s Postulates?

They establish criteria to link a microbe to a disease.

What are extremophiles?

Prokaryotes that live in extreme environments.

What type of bacteria are known to produce antibiotics?

Actinobacteria.

What is bioremediation?

The use of living organisms, typically bacteria or archaea, to degrade environmental pollutants.

Define phototrophs.

Organisms that use light as an energy source.

What process do methanogens use to produce methane?

They produce methane as a by-product of respiration.

What did the oxygen revolution lead to?

The increase of oxygen to 21% in Earth’s atmosphere.

What defines Gram-positive bacteria?

They have a thick peptidoglycan cell wall.

What is the role of Taq polymerase in molecular biology?

It is used in the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to amplify DNA.

What is the ecological community of microbes found in the human body called?

The Human Microbiome.

What distinguishes Proteobacteria in terms of habitat?

They are commonly found in aquatic environments and as pathogens.