Question | Answer |
Prokaryota | Single-celled creatures with no membrane-bound organelles. Eubacteria and Archaebacteria belong to this group. |
Cocci | Spherical-shaped bacteria. |
Bacilli | Rod-shaped bacteria. |
Spirilli | Corkscrew-shaped bacteria. |
Flagellum | Whip-like tail used to move about. |
Tumbling Motility | The manner in which some single-celled creatures move. Forward movement with "tumbles" which are used to change direction. |
Fission | A process of reproduction in which one cell divides to form two identical "daughter" cells. |
Aerobe (or obligate aerobe) | A creature that requires oxygen to live. These creatures respire for energy. |
Anaerobe (or obligate anaerobe) | A creature that cannot tolerate oxygen in the environment. These creatures ferment for energy. |
Facultative anaerobe | A creature that can live in oxygen or without it. These creatures can either respire or ferment for energy. they prefer to respire. |
Archae | More primitive form of bacterial life; found in the earliest rock record. Often, these are adapted to the harshest of environments. Sometimes called extremophiles. |
Saprophyte | A creature that consumes dead and/or decaying organisms for food. |
Pathogen | Any organism that causes disease. |
Endospore | Thick-walled structures made by some bacteria in response to an environmental stress. When conditions are favorable, the bacteria may emerge from the spore state and continue its life cycle.. |
Vaccine | Medicine which helps your body recognize and kill bacterial pathogens. |
Gram Positive | A group of Eubacteria with a thick cell wall and one cell membrane. Stain purple with Gram stain. |
Gram Negative | A group of Eubacteria with a thin cell wall sandwiched between two cell membranes. Stain pink with Gram stain. |
Peptidoglycan | Chemical that forms the cell wall material in prokaryotes. Also known as Murein. |
Staph | Bacteria that group themselves in clusters. |
Strep | Bacteria that group themselves in chains. |
Diplo | Bacteria that group themselves in pairs. |
Monotrichous | Refers to cells with one flagellum, found at one end of the bacterium. |
Polytrichous | Refers to cells with multiple flagella, in various arrangements around a cell. |
Colony Morphology | Describes the form, elevation, color, and other properties of bacterial colonies. |
Colony | A genetically identical "pile" of bacteria which all have the same single parent cell. |
Colony Form | The shape of a bacterial colony when viewed from above. |
Antibiotics | A chemical compound that is used to stop or inhibit the growth of microorganisms. |
Toxin | A poisonous substance |
Microaerophilic | A creature that requires a small amount of oxygen to live. Too much oxygen kills it. No oxygen also kills it. |
Aerotolerant | A creature that ferments, but can tolerate oxygen. These have no preference for oxygen in the environment. |
Monera | An older term which referred to the kingdom bacteria. It is largely abandoned in favor of a 3 domain system. |
Extremophiles | Creatures that "love" extreme conditions. These can grow in extremes of salt, heat, cold, acidity, etc. |
Bioremediation | The use of bacteria to repair contamination of soils or other natural habitats. |