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Microbial Biosphere
First set of lectures
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What are the eight limits on the biosphere? | -water availability -pH -Temperature - Salinity - Light availability - Pressure (osmotic) - Nutrients - Chemicals required |
| Give an example of an imbalance in elements. | Iron Mountain |
| What was the significance of the Iron Mountain? | It accounted for 1/4 of the discharge of zinc and copper in the state of California. It destroyed the states largest fishery and it is not able to be recovered. |
| What are the essential elements to life? | P, O, N, C, H, S (like ponchos without the second O!) |
| What is the coldest temperature that life processes can take place in? | -5C (or -18C for one yeast?) |
| What is water activity? (quantitatively) | mole fraction of water |
| What is water activity? (qualitatively) | same as humidity i.e. 50% humidity = 50% of water in air is moving |
| What is the lowest water activity for extremophiles? | .605 |
| What is the necessary range of water activity for most living microbes? | (.9) .95-1.0 -- more comfortable |
| What does a sterile environment mean? | Survival can exist, but no life processes (growth) |
| What percentage of microbes are cultivatable? | <1% |
| What are the limits of cellular function? | 1) cannot recreate their environments 2) need a host or growth factor |
| What is microbial consortia? | when two microbial communities live in symbiosis |
| Give an example of a growth factor (one of the requirements for cellular function.) | The termites farm fungus on mushrooms. Humans took saliva from the termites to use on the mushrooms... so now they can produce. SALIVA = GROWTH FACTOR |
| What are the 3 habitats for microbial metabolism in ice? | 1) mineral grains 2) liquid veins 3) REDOX REACTIONS WITH DISSOLVED SMALL MOLECULES SUCH AS CO2, O2, N2, CO, CH4... DIFFUSING THROUGH THE ICE LATTICE. |
| How can micro be used in industry and biotech.? | environmental monitoring & bioremediation and biofuels |
| How can micro be used in human life? | pathology and epidemiology |
| How can micro be used in food & brewing? | safety and fermentation |
| How can micro be used in agriculture? | soil health & plant nutrition |
| What was Silent Spring about? | Rachel Carson exposed hazards of the pesticide DDT. |
| What is the significance of the brine channels in the sea ice? | The temperature determines all physical characteristics such as salinity. It determines whether or not the microorganisms can keep ice crystals from forming in them and denaturing them. The channels provide a habitat to protect them. |
| What is the highest temperature to support life processes? | 121C |
| What is the maximum pH? | 12 |
| What are the potential requirements for life on Mars Special Regions? | Temperatures > -25 C for a few hours a year and a water activity > -25 C. |
| What are the physical parameters necessary for life in Mars Special Regions? | The region must have temp. >-25 C for a few hours a year and a water activity > .5 |
| What is the ability for cultivatability connected with? | Metagenomics |
| What are copiotrophs? | Carbon loving microorganism |
| What are oligiotrophs? | Do NOT love carbon |
| What percentage of biodiversity on Earth do prokaryotes make up? | roughly 98% |
Created by:
kelseystein_2015
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