BIOL 103 Chapter 1: The Main Themes of Microbiology PDF

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Prof. McCallister, This chapter talks about the basics of bacteriology and microbiology...

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BIOL 103 1/11/17 and 1/16/17 Chapter 1: The Main Themes of Microbiology What is microbiology?  Micro =small; biology= study of life  Microbiology: study of microorganisms  Microorganisms: living organisms that cannot be seen with the naked eye (i.e. microbes, bugs, germs) The Scope of Microbiology  What does it include? Encompasses ALL types and aspects of microbes  Types of microorganisms: bacteria, algae, protozoa, helminths, fungi, archaea, viruses, prions (infectious proteins; mad cow disease) Microbial impact on Earth (Importance of Microbes) 1. Origins and Evolution: they are our ancestors; evolution 2. Environment: they impact the environment; they’re ubiquitous (they’re everywhere!); they’re there in large numbers; impact Earth’s terrain (photosynthesis and decomposition); 70% of photosynthesis is done by microbes (some bacteria and algae). Decomposition is performed by fungi and bacteria. 3. Biotechnology (use of microorganisms or their products in the commercial or industrial realm; genetic engineering: manipulation of living organisms to create new products): food (microbes are used to make foods like: bread, beer, cheese, wine, yogurt, milk), mining (use of microbes to

extract minerals), cleaning products (enzymes that microbes can produce; diatomaceous earth: cleaning agent made from algae), drug therapy (manipulate microbes to create insulin (yeasts) and antibiotics (bacteria and fungi)). Bioremediation: introduction of microbes into the environment to restore stability or to clean up toxic pollutant; many kinds of microbes working together i.e. Oil spills, heavy metals, etc. 4. Disease (Microbial Diseases): only a small percent of microbes cause infectious diseases (pathogens); some improve the quality of life (normal biota). Increasing number of emerging (Zika, bird/swine flu) and re-emerging (measles, Ebola, hepatitis, AIDS) diseases; new links of diseases to microbes (stomach ulcers, some cancers, OCD, anxiety, depression); increasing number of drug resistant strains of diseases. (MRSA (bacterial/staph infection), gonorrhea, VRSA, and MRTB) General Characteristics of Microorganisms o Cellular and acellular Cellular Prokaryotes: bacteria, and archaea Eukaryotes: fungi, protists (algae and protozoa), and helminths Prokaryotes  No organelles  10x smaller  Unicellular  Cell walls  All prokaryotes are microorganisms 2

Eukaryotes  Organelles  10x larger  Uni/multicellular  Cell walls? (not all have cell walls)  Not all eukaryotes are microorganisms Acellular Viruses & Prions Viruses  Acellular  Obligate intracellular parasites  Cannot live independently – need a host  Much simpler than a cell o Only consist of genetic material and protein o Use host machinery to replicate and disperse Prions  Single protein Characteristics of Living organisms: metabolism, reproductions, differentiation, communication, locomotion, and evolution Microbe size: 1 mm (fungi) – 1 nm (prions) Naming, Classifying, and Identifying Microorganisms

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Taxonomy: classification of life (domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species); Dear King Philip Came Over For Soup Nomenclature Binomial system of nomenclature  Consists of two names  genus and species Rules  Genus name is always capitalized  Species name is never capitalized  Both are either written in italics or underlined Origins of Classification Evolution: underlying theme of all biology Similar features because they share a similar ancestor Different Classification Schemes Whittaker: The 5 Kingdom Model  Plants  Animals  Fungi  Protists  Monera Woese: The 3 Domain Model  Domain Bacteria: most abundant organism, structurally simple, not membrane bound (nucleoid), cell wall made of peptidoglycan, some are photosynthetic, distinct shapes, and some are motile, come in rods, circles and, spirals

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 Domain Archaea: prokaryotes with unique chemistry  Domain Eukarya: contains eukaryotes; protista (protozoa and algae), fungi (mold and yeast), and animalia (helminths)

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