Energy Sources and Microbial Diversity

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms and concepts related to microbial diversity, eukaryotic origins, and metabolic processes based on the lecture notes.

Endosymbiosis

A theory suggesting that mitochondria originated when a bacterial cell took up residence inside another cell about 2 billion years ago.

Prokaryotes

The oldest, structurally simplest, and most abundant forms of life, existing for over a billion years before eukaryotes.

Chemoorganotrophs

Organisms that obtain energy from organic molecules.

Metabolic diversity

The ability of bacteria and archaea to occupy a broad range of environments and perform diverse metabolic processes.

Photoautotrophs

Organisms that synthesize their own food from sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water.

Cyanobacteria

Organisms that performed the first oxygenic photosynthesis, changing the Earth's atmosphere to one with a high concentration of oxygen.

Nucleoid

The region in prokaryotic cells where the single, circular, double-stranded DNA chromosome is located.

Genetic recombination

Occurs through horizontal gene transfer in prokaryotes rather than through sexual reproduction.

Photosynthesis

The process by which plants, algae, and some bacteria convert light energy into chemical energy, typically producing oxygen as a byproduct.

Oxidative phosphorylation

A process in cellular respiration where electrons are transferred through a series of proteins to ultimately produce ATP.

Organotrophs

A group of organisms that obtain their electrons from organic compounds.

Heterotrophs

Organisms that obtain their carbon from organic molecules produced by other organisms.

Electron acceptors

A substance that accepts electrons during a redox reaction, often involved in cellular respiration.

Eubacteria

Also known as bacteria, one of the two domains of prokaryotes.

Archaea

A domain of prokaryotic organisms that are structurally different from bacteria and often live in extreme environments.

Autotrophs

Organisms that can synthesize their own food from simple inorganic substances.

Plasmids

Small, circular DNA molecules found in prokaryotes that can replicate independently of chromosomal DNA.

Stromatolites

Layered structures created by the activity of microorganisms, especially cyanobacteria.

Cytosol

The fluid component of the cytoplasm in which organelles, proteins, and other cell structures are suspended.

Secondary endosymbiosis

A process where a eukaryotic cell engulfs another eukaryotic cell that has already undergone primary endosymbiosis.

Extremophiles

Organisms that thrive in extreme environmental conditions.

ATP synthase

An enzyme that produces ATP from ADP and inorganic phosphate during cellular respiration.

Electron donors

Substances that donate electrons in a redox reaction used to generate energy.