Unit 1: Biodiversity, Protists, and Bacteria

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering biodiversity types, respiration, protist groups and examples, bacterial structures, reproduction modes, archaebacteria types, and antibiotic resistance.

Biodiversity

The number and variety of different species and ecosystems on Earth.

Genetic Diversity

The genetic variability among organisms at the cellular level, inherited from parents, resulting in all members of the same species being slightly different.

Species

All organisms capable of breeding with each other naturally and producing fertile offspring.

Species Diversity

The quantity of each species present as well as the number of different species in a given area.

Ecosystem

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

Ecosystem Diversity

The abiotic and physical traits of the ecosystem, including how species interact with each other and their environment.

Aerobic Respiration

Cellular respiration carried out with oxygen; organisms that perform it cannot live without oxygen.

Anaerobic Respiration

Cellular respiration carried out without oxygen; organisms that perform it cannot live in the presence of oxygen.

Kingdom Protista

A kingdom consisting of eukaryotic organisms that do not fit into Kingdom Fungi, Kingdom Animalia, or Kingdom Plantae.

Animal-like Protists

Heterotrophic protists that lack cell walls, are mostly motile using flagella or cilia, and are frequently parasitic.

Plant-like Protists

Autotrophic, aquatic protists that contain chlorophyll for photosynthesis, with some possessing cellulose cell walls.

Fungi-like Protists

Heterotrophic protists that prefer cool, shady, moist environments and share characteristics with protozoa and fungi.

Flagellates

Protists possessing one or more flagella, such as Trypanosoma, which causes African sleeping sickness by destroying red blood cells.

Ciliates

Protists that feature two nuclei, an oral groove for eating, and hair-like cilia used for locomotion.

Balantidium coli

A parasitic ciliate that causes diarrhea or constipation after consuming contaminated water.

Amoeba

A protist that moves via cytoplasmic streaming and utilizes pseudopods to capture food through phagocytosis.

Pseudopods

Temporary cytoplasmic projections used by amoebas for locomotion and phagocytosis.

Sporozoa

Non-motile, spore-forming parasitic protists, exemplified by Plasmodium.

Plasmodium

A parasitic sporozoan protist responsible for causing malaria.

Binary Fission

A form of asexual bacterial reproduction where a cell duplicates genetic material, elongates, forms a septum wall, and divides into two genetically identical cells of equal size.

Bacterial Conjugation

A sexual reproduction process triggered by altering conditions, where bacteria connect via a pilus to transfer genetic information before the recipient cell divides by binary fission.

Endospore

A seed-like dormant structure formed around bacterial DNA with a tough outer covering to withstand unfavourable conditions until favourable conditions return.

Archaebacteria

Single-celled prokaryotic extremophiles possessing protein-based cell walls that do not respond to antibiotics.

Kingdom Eubacteria

Single-celled prokaryotic mesophiles found in diverse habitats with cell walls made of peptidoglycan that respond to antibiotics.

Plasmid

A small circular loop of bacterial DNA carrying several genes that can be transferred between different bacteria.

Pilus

A hair-like bacterial appendage that forms a bridge structure used to exchange genetic material with other cells.

Flagellum

A whip-like cellular appendage utilized by bacteria and protists for mobility.

Peptidoglycan

A sugar-protein polymer composing the cell wall layer of eubacteria that can be targeted and destroyed by penicillin.

Capsule

An outer protective coating surrounding the cell wall of a bacterial cell.

Methanogens

Archaebacteria that generate energy by converting chemicals into methane gas, inhabiting swamps, lakes, sewage, and digestive tracts.

Halophiles

Salt-loving archaebacteria that thrive in highly saline environments, such as the Dead Sea.

Extreme Thermophiles

Archaebacteria adapted to live in extremely high-temperature habitats, including hot springs and hydrothermal vents.

Psychrophiles

Archaebacteria specialized to survive and thrive in extremely cold environments.

Antibiotics

Chemical compounds that destroy bacteria by weakening and breaking down their cell walls.

Antibiotic Resistance

The adaptation of bacterial strains to survive and reproduce despite exposure to antibacterial compounds, often accelerated by overuse.