Exam (elaborations)
BISC 431 Exam 1 Questions with Complete Solutions
- Course
- Institution
BISC 431 Exam 1 Questions with Complete Solutions
[Show more]
Content preview
BISC 431 Exam 1 Questions withComplete Solutions
Bioremediation of Uranium-Contaminated Environments - Answer--uranium
contamination of groundwater has occurred where uranium has been processed or
stored
-Some bacteria can convert (reduce) U6+ to U4+ to go from water soluble to insoluble
-uranium is contained, not removed
Bioremediation of Hydrocarbons - Answer--organic pollutant can eventually be
completely degraded to CO2 by microbes
-prokaryotes have been used in bioremediation of several major crude oil spills
Antiquity and Extent of Microbial Life - Answer--microorganisms were the first life forms
on earth to show the basic characteristics of living systems
-cyanobacteria paved the way for the evolution of other lifeforms by producing the
oxygen in earth's atmosphere
-however, long before cyanobacteria appeared on earth, the planet was already
teeming with life and diverse communities of microorganisms were widespread
Evolution and Diversity of Microbial Cells - Answer--first self-replicating entities may not
have been cells
-Last universal common ancestor (LUCA): common ancestral cell from which all cells
are descended
-first cell appeared between 3.8 and 3.7 million years ago
-atmosphere was anoxic until ~2 billion years ago
-metabolism were exclusively anaerobic until the evolution of oxygen-producing
phototrophs
-life was exclusively microbial until ~1 billion years ago
Microbes Everywhere doing nearly Everything - Answer--Deinococcus can survive 3
million rads (3,00x radiation needed to kill a person)
-Halobacterium can live at 32% salinity (~9x sea water)
-Picrophilus lives at a pH of 0.003 (acidic enough to dissolve metals)
-Natranobacterium lives at a pH of 12
-Pyrolobus lives at temperatures >113°C
-Polaromonas lives at temperatures <0°C
-Moritella lives at pressure over 1,000 atms
Robert Hooke - Answer--while it had been suspected that there were organisms that
were too small to see, they were first discovered by Robert Hooke
-created the first microscope
, Louis Pasteur - Answer--discovered that alcoholic fermentation was a biologically
mediated process
-disproved theory of spontaneous generation which led to aseptic technique
-developed vaccines for anthrax, fowl cholera, and rabies
Robert Koch - Answer--demonstrated link between microbes and infectious diseases
-developed solid media techniques for obtaining pure cultures of microbes
-observed that masses of cells have different shapes, colors, and sizes
Great Plate Count Anomaly - Answer--difference between colony counts and counts
under a microscope
-viable but nonculturable populations: when a culture of cells is stressed, then it will no
longer grow in media
-uncultured populations: These could not be grown on typical media
Evolution - Answer--the process of change over time that results in new varieties and
species of organisms
-occurs in any self-replicating system in which variation occurs as the result of mutation
and selection and differential fitness is a potential result
-thus over time, all cells and viruses evolve
Phylogeny - Answer--evolutionary relationships between organisms
-relationships can be deduced by comparing genetic information in the different
specimens
-Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) is excellent for determining phylogeny
-all cells have rRNA
-they are rarely transferred between cells
-relationships visualized on a phylogenetic tree
-phylogenetic relationships between bacteria can be deduced by comparing genetic
information
Separating Microbes into Functional Groups - Answer--phototrophs obtain energy from
light
-chemotrophs obtain energy from chemicals
-autotrophs require CO2 as a carbon source
-heterotrophs require an organic nutrient to make organic compounds
Four major Modes of Nutrition - Answer--Photoautotrophy
-Chemoautotrophy
-Photoheterotrophy
-Chemoheterotrophy
Identifying Bacteria Based on Metabolic Capacity - Answer--did a swab and then did a
bunch of metabolic tests to determine if it was a certain organism
-not used in microbial ecology because it won't be able to tell you very much
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller lectknancy. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $12.49. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
48756 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 15 years now