diversity of microbes, fungi, and protists

Amoebozoa

The eukaryotic supergroup that contains the amoebas and slime molds.

anaerobic

Refers to organisms that grow without oxygen.

anoxic

Without oxygen.

Archaeplastida

The eukaryotic supergroup that contains land plants, green algae, and red algae.

Ascomycota

Sac fungi; a division of fungi that store spores in a sac called ascus.

basidiomycota

Club fungi; a division of fungi that produce club shaped structures, basidia, which contain spores.

biofilm

A microbial community that is held together by a gummy-textured matrix.

bioremediation

The use of microbial metabolism to remove pollutants.

Black Death

A devastating pandemic believed to have been an outbreak of bubonic plague caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis.

botulism

A disease produced by the toxin of the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium botulinum.

capsule

An external structure that enables a prokaryote to attach to surfaces and protects it from dehydration.

Chromalveolata

The eukaryotic supergroup that contains the dinoflagellates, ciliates, the brown algae, diatoms, and water molds.

Chytridiomycota

Chytrids; a primitive division of fungi that live in water and produce gametes with flagella.

commensalism

A symbiotic relationship in which one member benefits while the other is not affected.

conjugation

The process by which prokaryotes move DNA from one individual to another using a pilus.

cyanobacteria

Bacteria that evolved from early phototrophs and oxygenated the atmosphere; also known as blue-green algae.

endosymbiosis

The engulfment of one cell by another such that the engulfed cell survives and both cells benefit.

epidemic

A disease that occurs in an unusually high number of individuals in a population at the same time.

Excavata

The eukaryotic supergroup that contains flagellated single-celled organisms with a feeding groove.

extremophile

An organism that grows under extreme or harsh conditions.

foodborne disease

Any illness resulting from the consumption of contaminated food or pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites.

Glomeromycota

A group of fungi that form symbiotic relationships with the roots of trees.

Gram-negative

Describes a bacterium whose cell wall contains little peptidoglycan but has an outer membrane.

Gram-positive

Describes a bacterium that contains mainly peptidoglycan in its cell walls.

hydrothermal vent

A fissure in Earth’s surface that releases geothermally heated water.

hypha

A fungal filament composed of one or more cells.

lichen

The close association of a fungus with a photosynthetic alga or bacterium that benefits both partners.

microbial mat

A multi-layered sheet of prokaryotes that may include bacteria and archaea.

mold

A tangle of visible mycelia with a fuzzy appearance.

MRSA

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; a very dangerous strain of Staphylococcus aureus resistant to antibiotics.

mycelium

A mass of fungal hyphae.

mycorrhiza

A mutualistic association between fungi and vascular plant roots.

mycosis

A fungal infection.

Opisthokonta

The eukaryotic supergroup that contains the fungi, animals, and choanoflagellates.

pandemic

A widespread, usually worldwide, epidemic disease.

parasite

An organism that lives on or in another organism and feeds on it, often without killing it.

pathogen

An organism, or infectious agent, that causes a disease.

pellicle

An outer cell covering composed of interlocking protein strips that function like a flexible coat of armor.

peptidoglycan

A material composed of polysaccharide chains cross-linked to unusual peptides.

phototroph

An organism that uses energy from sunlight.

plastid

One of a group of related organelles in plant cells that are involved in the storage of starches, fats, proteins, and pigments.

polyphyletic group

Group of organisms that is of mixed evolutionary origin.

pseudopeptidoglycan

A component of some cell walls of Archaea.

Rhizaria

The eukaryotic supergroup that contains organisms that move by amoeboid movement.

saprobe

An organism that feeds on dead organic material.

septum

The cell wall division between hyphae.

stromatolite

A layered sedimentary structure formed by precipitation of minerals by prokaryotes in microbial mats.

thallus

A vegetative body of a fungus.

transduction

The process by which a bacteriophage moves DNA from one prokaryote to another.

transformation

A mechanism of genetic change in prokaryotes in which DNA present in the environment is taken into the cell and incorporated into the genome.

yeast

A general term used to describe unicellular fungi.

Zygomycota

Conjugated fungi; the division of fungi that form a zygote contained in a zygospore.