Environmental Bacteria and Microbiomes

Vocabulary flashcards covering concepts related to bacteria in different environments, biofilms, and microbiomes, as discussed in the lecture notes.

Woese's Technique (Environmental Adaptation)

A technique used to compare DNA sequences by collecting DNA from various environments.

DNA Collection Process

Graduate students collect samples from environments, purify DNA using nitrocellulose columns, and then sequence it.

Uncultured Bacteria

Many groups of bacteria are only known from DNA sequences and cannot be grown in laboratory conditions.

Reality Astonishes Theory

The idea that the reality of organismal sequences in environments often differs greatly from existing theories based on known pathogens.

Nutrient Cycles

The cycling of nutrients from one form to another, primarily facilitated by microorganisms.

Bacterial Biogeography

The environment determines which bacteria grow in a certain place, due to their high populations and reproductive abilities.

Peptidoglycan

A bacterial cell wall, unique to bacteria, that resists changes in osmotic pressure.

Antibiotic Chemical

A chemical that selectively targets and harms bacterial cells without affecting eukaryotic cells.

Biofilm

A surface-adhering community of bacteria secreting extracellular matrix, in which other cells become embedded.

Multicellular Behavior (in Bacteria)

Coordinated actions among bacteria, communicating and behaving collectively rather than as individuals.

Microbiome

All of the microorganisms growing in or on another organism's body.

C. Diff Infection

Infection caused by Clostridium difficile, often as a secondary result of antibiotic use, leading to severe diarrhea and colon inflammation.

Fecal Transplant

Transplanting bacteria from a healthy volunteer into the large intestine of a person with recurrent C. Diff infections to restore normal bacterial diversity.