Microbiology Pre-Learning Ch.1

Microbiology

involves studying microorganisms using tools from various scientific fields

refers to the study of bacteria and archaea

Virology

study of viruses

Mycology

study of fungi

Phycology

study of algae

Bacteria

• unicellular organisms

• classified as gram-pos and gram-neg

• many different types

Archaea

• unicellular organisms

• evolved with bacteria

• extremeophiles

• closely related to eukaryotes than bacteria

Eukaryotic Microorganisms

• includes fungi, algae, protists

• nucleus and membrane bound organelles

• all multicellular life is this

Viruses

• smaller than bacteria

• not technically alive

• need host cell to reproduce

• made of genetic material + a coat

• no machinery to make proteins

• viroids and prions

Morphology

study of cell shape; uses stains and microscopy

Metabolism

How organisms get energy and handle waste; studied via biochemistry

Growth

How organisms increase in size; measured through physics and counting

Genotype

Microbial genetic makeup; studied using molecular biology

Phenotype

Observable traits; involves gene environment interactions

Phylogeny

Evolutionary history; involves genetics, molecular biology, evolutionary biology

Prokaryotes

bacteria & archaea (lack nucleus)

Eukaryotes

organisms with nuclei, includes fungi, protists, algae, and humans