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53 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
acidophile
|
organism with optimal growth pH of three or below |
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alkaliphile
|
organism with optimal growth pH of nine or above |
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ammonification
|
process by which ammonia is released during the decomposition of nitrogen- containing organic compounds |
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anaerobic
|
refers to organisms that grow without oxygen |
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anoxic
|
without oxygen |
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antibiotic
|
biological substance that, in low concentration, is antagonistic to the growth of prokaryotes |
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biofilm
|
microbial community that is held together by a gummy-textured matrix |
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biological nitrogen fixation
|
conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia exclusively carried out by prokaryotes |
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bioremediation
|
use of microbial metabolism to remove pollutants |
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biotechnology
|
any technological application that uses living organisms, biological systems, or their derivatives to produce or modify other products |
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Black Death
|
devastating pandemic that is believed to have been an outbreak of bubonic plague caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis |
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botulism
|
disease produced by the toxin of the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium botulinum |
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CA-MRSA
|
MRSA acquired in the community rather than in a hospital setting |
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capsule
|
external structure that enables a prokaryote to attach to surfaces and protects it from dehydration |
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chemotroph
|
organism that obtains energy from chemical compounds |
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conjugation
|
process by which prokaryotes move DNA from one individual to another using a pilus |
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cyanobacteria
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bacteria that evolved from early phototrophs and oxygenated the atmosphere; also known as blue-green algae |
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decomposer
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organism that carries out the decomposition of dead organisms |
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denitrification
|
transformation of nitrate from soil to gaseous nitrogen compounds such as N2O, NO and N2 |
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emerging disease
|
disease making an initial appearance in a population or that is increasing in incidence or geographic range |
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endemic disease
|
disease that is constantly present, usually at low incidence, in a population |
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extremophile
|
organism that grows under extreme or harsh conditions |
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foodborne disease
|
any illness resulting from the consumption of contaminated food, or of the pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or other parasites that contaminate food |
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Gram negative
|
bacterium whose cell wall contains little peptidoglycan but has an outer membrane |
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halophile
|
organism that require a salt concentration of at least 0.2 M |
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hydrothermal vent
|
fissure in Earth’s surface that releases geothermally heated water |
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hyperthermophile
|
organism that grows at temperatures between 80–122 °C |
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microbial mat
|
multi-layered sheet of prokaryotes that may include bacteria and archaea |
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MRSA
|
very dangerous Staphylococcus aureus strain resistant to multiple antibiotics; also known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus |
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nitrification
|
conversion of ammonium into nitrite and nitrate in soils |
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nitrogen fixation
|
process by which gaseous nitrogen is transformed, or “fixed” into more readily available forms such as ammonia |
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nodule
|
novel structure on the roots of certain plants (legumes) that results from the symbiotic interaction between the plant and soil bacteria, is the site of nitrogen fixation |
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nutrient
|
essential substances for growth, such as carbon and nitrogen |
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osmophile
|
organism that grows in a high sugar concentration |
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pandemic
|
widespread, usually worldwide, epidemic disease |
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peptidoglycan
|
material composed of polysaccharide chains cross-linked to unusual peptides |
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phototroph
|
organism that is able to make its own food by converting solar energy to chemical energy |
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pilus
|
surface appendage of some prokaryotes used for attachment to surfaces including other prokaryotes |
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pseudopeptidoglycan
|
component of archaea cell walls that is similar to peptidoglycan in morphology but contains different sugars |
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psychrophile
|
organism that grows at temperatures of -15 °C or lower |
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radioresistant
|
organism that grows in high levels of radiation |
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resuscitation
|
process by which prokaryotes that are in the VBNC state return to viability |
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S-layer
|
surface-layer protein present on the outside of cell walls of archaea and bacteria |
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serotype
|
strain of bacteria that carries a set of similar antigens on its cell surface, often many in abacterial species |
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stromatolite
|
layered sedimentary structure formed by precipitation of minerals by prokaryotes in microbial mats |
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teichoic acid
|
polymer associated with the cell wall of Gram-positive bacteria |
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thermophile
|
organism that lives at temperatures between 60–80 °C |
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transduction
|
process by which a bacteriophage moves DNA from one prokaryote to another |
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transformation
|
process by which a prokaryote takes in DNA found in its environment that is shed by other prokaryotes |
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viable-but-non-culturable state
|
survival mechanism of bacteria facing environmental stress conditions; also known as VBNC |
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zoonosis
|
disease that primarily infects animals that is transmitted to humans |
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epidemic |
disease that occurs in an unusually high number of individuals in a population at the same time |
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Gram positive |
bacterium that contains mainly peptidoglycan in its cell walls |