BSC1005 Chapters 8 and 9 Review: Microbiology, Fungi, and Botany

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the concepts, definitions, and specialized structures from BSC1005 Chapters 8 and 9, including prokaryotes, horizontal gene transfer, protists, acellular agents, fungi, and land-plant anatomy and evolution.

Binary fission

An asexual reproductive process in prokaryotes that produces two genetically identical daughter cells.

Capsule

A sticky protective outer layer found on many bacteria that functions in defense and attachment to surfaces.

Flagellum

A specialized whip-like cellular appendage used by many prokaryotes to swim and propel themselves.

Endospore

A thick-shelled, dormant bacterial structure that allows the cell to survive prolonged periods of harsh conditions, such as severe drying.

Cocci

Spherical-shaped bacterial cells.

Bacilli

Rod-shaped bacterial cells.

Biofilm

An organized, surface-attached community of microorganisms, such as dental plaque.

Methanogens

Archaea that produce and release methane as a metabolic byproduct, commonly residing in anaerobic habitats such as swamp mud.

Halophiles

Salt-tolerant archaea that thrive in environments with exceptionally high salt concentrations.

Thermophiles

Heat-tolerant archaea that thrive at very high temperatures, such as those found in hot springs.

Nitrogen-fixing bacteria

Soil and root-associated bacteria that convert atmospheric nitrogen gas into chemical compounds usable by plants.

Bioremediation

The practice of using microorganisms to remove or clean up environmental pollutants.

Pathogen

A biological agent, such as a harmful microorganism or virus, that causes disease.

Transformation

The horizontal gene transfer process where a recipient bacterial cell takes up fragments of free environmental DNA released by lysed cells.

Transduction

The horizontal gene transfer process where a bacterial virus (bacteriophage) accidentally packages bacterial DNA and transfers it to another bacterial cell.

Conjugation

The direct transfer of genetic material between two living bacterial cells linked by a mating bridge.

Sex pilus

A bacterial projection that establishes physical contact and draws donor and recipient cells together during conjugation.

Plasmid

A small, circular, self-replicating DNA molecule present in bacteria that is distinct and independent from the main chromosome.

Endosymbiosis

An evolutionary process where one organism lives inside the cell of another, explaining the origin of eukaryotic organelles like mitochondria and chloroplasts.

Protists

A diverse, broad category of eukaryotic organisms that are not classified as plants, animals, or fungi.

Protozoans

A subgroup of protists characterized by an animal-like mode of nutrition based primarily on ingesting food particles.

Giardia

A flagellated protozoan protist that acts as an intestinal parasite.

Algae

Protists that possess chloroplasts and conduct photosynthesis.

Virus

An acellular infectious particle containing genetic material that cannot replicate on its own and requires host cell machinery to reproduce.

Bacteriophage

A specific type of virus that infects bacterial host cells.

Prion

An infectious pathogen composed entirely of an abnormally folded protein lacking any DNA or RNA genome.

Viroid

An infectious plant pathogen consisting solely of a small circular RNA molecule that replicates using host enzymes without coding for proteins.

Penicillium

A medically beneficial mold fungus known for its production of the antibiotic penicillin.

Decomposer fungi

Fungi that obtain nutrition absorptively by secreting enzymes to break down large molecules externally before taking up smaller organic molecules.

Hyphae

Filamentous threads of cells that make up the vegetative body and reproductive structures of a fungus.

Mycelium

An extensive subterranean network of fungal hyphae specialized for nutrient absorption.

Mushroom

The visible, aboveground fungal fruiting body primarily dedicated to the production and dispersal of spores.

Mycorrhizae

A mutualistic symbiotic association between fungal hyphae and plant roots, in which the fungus delivers water and minerals while the plant supplies photosynthetic sugars.

Cuticle

A waxy exterior coating on plant leaves and stems that prevents desiccation by reducing water loss.

Lignin

A rigid chemical polymer that hardens and reinforces plant cell walls to provide structural support for vertical growth.

Petiole

The structural stalk that attaches a leaf blade to the stem of a plant.

Stomata

Microscopic pores on leaf surfaces regulated by guard cells that permit carbon dioxide uptake and govern evaporative water loss.

Plasmodesmata

Microscopic channels through plant cell walls that connect the cytoplasm of adjacent cells and enable intercellular transport.

Xylem

Vascular tissue made of dead, hollow, pipe-like cells that conduct water and dissolved minerals upward from the roots.

Phloem

Vascular tissue composed of living cells that transports photosynthetic sugars from sources (like leaves) to sinks (like roots and fruits).

Transpiration

The evaporative loss of water vapor from plant leaves through open stomata, creating a pull that draws xylem sap upward.

Charophytes

A lineage of modern green algae identified as the closest living relatives to the ancestral ancestors of land plants.

Bryophytes

Nonvascular, seedless land plants (such as mosses) lacking lignified conducting tissue and featuring a dominant haploid gametophyte generation.

Gametophyte

The haploid multicellular generation in alternating plant life cycles that produces male and female gametes.

Sporophyte

The diploid multicellular generation in alternating plant life cycles that produces haploid spores through meiosis.

Seedless vascular plants

A plant group (including ferns) with lignified vascular tissues that reproduce using spores and require moisture for flagellated sperm to reach eggs.

Gymnosperms

Vascular seed plants (such as conifers) whose seeds develop unprotected on cone scales rather than enclosed inside a fruit.

Seed

A plant reproductive adaptation consisting of a plant embryo packaged with a nutritive food supply inside a protective outer coat.

Angiosperms

The dominant group of modern land plants characterized by the evolution of flowers and protective fruit-enclosed seeds.

Flower

The specialized reproductive structure of an angiosperm designed to facilitate pollination and house developing ovules inside an ovary.

Fruit

A mature, thickened plant ovary that surrounds and protects developing seeds and aids in their eventual dispersal.

Endosperm

A specialized, nutrient-dense tissue within an angiosperm seed that nourishes the developing embryo.

Monocots

A major class of angiosperms characterized by a single cotyledon (seed leaf), parallel leaf venation, and floral organs arranged in multiples of three.

Dicots

A major class of angiosperms characterized by two cotyledons (seed leaves) and branched or netted leaf venation.

Annual

A flowering plant that germinates, reproduces, and completes its full life cycle within a single growing season.

Biennial

A flowering plant that requires two consecutive growing seasons to complete its biological life cycle.

Perennial

A flowering plant that lives, persists, and reproduces across multiple growing seasons.

Primary growth

Growth in stem and root length driven by active cell division at apical meristems.

Meristem

Unspecialized plant tissue located at root and shoot tips that drives lengthwise primary growth through repeated mitotic divisions.

Secondary growth

Growth that increases the thickness, width, or girth of stems and roots through the accumulation of seasonal woody tissues.

Annual growth rings

Concentric rings of secondary xylem produced during alternating seasonal growth cycles, used to estimate the age of a woody plant.