Classification of Microorganisms

These flashcards encompass key concepts regarding the classification of microorganisms, their taxonomy, systematic organization, and identification methods.

What is taxonomy in relation to microorganisms?

Taxonomy is the science of classifying organisms, putting them into categories called taxa to show degrees of similarity.

What is systematics?

Systematics is the study of the evolutionary history of organisms.

Who proposed the Kingdom Protista and when?

The Kingdom Protista was proposed in 1866 for bacteria, protozoa, algae, and fungi.

What are the three domains of life?

The three domains of life are Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya.

What is the significance of binomial nomenclature?

Binomial nomenclature provides a universal naming system for organisms, using the genus and specific epithet.

Which kingdom includes multicellular photosynthetic organisms?

The Plantae kingdom includes multicellular photosynthetic organisms.

What distinguishes Archaea from Bacteria?

Archaea are prokaryotes that do not have peptidoglycan in their cell walls, while Bacteria do.

What is a prokaryotic species?

A prokaryotic species is a population of cells with similar characteristics that reproduce asexually.

What does it mean for an organism to be classified as a strain?

A strain is a group of genetically different cells resulting from genetic divergence within a clone.

What is the purpose of Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology?

It provides identification schemes for identifying bacteria and archaea based on morphology, differential staining, and biochemical tests.

How can viruses be classified?

Viral species are classified by populations of viruses with similar characteristics that occupy a specific ecological niche.

What is a slide agglutination test?

A slide agglutination test mixes known antiserums with unknown bacteria to detect clumping, indicating a positive identification.

What is phage typing?

Phage typing determines which bacteriophages a bacterium is susceptible to, providing another basis for identification.

What is DNA fingerprinting?

DNA fingerprinting is a method that uses electrophoresis of restriction enzyme digests to reveal specific unique banding patterns of DNA.

What role does PCR play in microbiology?

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is used to amplify DNA sequences to identify microorganisms.