Bacterial Morphology and Prokaryotic Structure

Vocabulary flashcards covering bacterial shapes, arrangements, and prokaryotic cell structures based on lecture notes.

Monomorphic

A term describing bacteria that maintain one consistent shape.

Pleomorphic

Derived from "pleo" meaning many, it refers to organisms that can have multiple shapes and may appear as coccus, bacilli, or irregular forms.

Bacterial Arrangements

The patterns in which bacterial cells remain grouped together after cell division, determined by the plane of division and whether cells separate.

Single Coccus

A bacterial arrangement consisting of one sphere.

Diplococci

Bacterial cells arranged in pairs.

Streptococci

Bacterial cells arranged in chains.

Tetrads

Bacterial cells arranged in groups of $4$.

Sarcinae

Bacterial cells arranged in cube-like packets of $8$.

Staphylococci

Bacterial cells arranged in grape-like clusters, often referred to as a "bunch of grapes."

3 basic bacterial shapes

The primary morphological categories for bacteria: Cocci, bacilli, and Spirilla.

Flagella

An external prokaryotic cell structure used for movement.

Pili/Fimbriae

External structures of a prokaryotic cell used for attachment or genetic transfer.

Capsule

An outer layer of some prokaryotic cells, located outside the cell wall.

Outer membrane

A structure found outside the cell wall only in Gram-negative bacteria.

Periplasm

A region found only in Gram-negative bacteria, located between the inner and outer membranes.

Cell wall

A structural layer surrounding the cell membrane in prokaryotic cells.

Cell membrane

The internal boundary of the cell that encloses the cytoplasm.

Cytoplasm

The gel-like substance inside the cell membrane that houses internal structures.

Nucleoid

The region within a prokaryotic cell that contains the genetic material.

Ribosomes

Internal prokaryotic structures responsible for protein synthesis.

Storage granules

Internal components used by prokaryotic cells to store nutrients or other materials.