microbiology

• types of microbes:

  • bacteria
  • fungi
  • viruses
  • yeasts
  • parasites
• microbes are abundant and source of all life forms
• microbes are more phylogenically diverse than plants/animals
• microbes can cause disease but can also have symbiotic relations with ohter organisms
• microbes have the ability to affect the climate and shape the geosphere
• microbes can grow anywhere as long as there is water avaialable which is why there can grow anywhere on earth where liquid water is present
• eukaryotic mibrobes include:

  • fungi
  • animals
  • protoctists
• prokaryotes include:

  • bacteria
  • archaea
• eukaryotes are membrane bound organelles which contain a nucleus
• prokaryotes do not have membrane bound organelles or a nucleus
• prokaryotes often have DNA thats not within a membrane, 1 chromosome, 70s ribosome and a peptidoglycan cell wall
• most microbes are small to allow a high SA:vol ratio as this helps to maximise the chemical exchange, keeping metabolic rate high which is key when competition for nutrients is also high
• the extremely small size of some microbes can make them an easy target for larger organisms
• the shape of microbes can affect:

  • rate of nutrient uptake
  • motility
  • attachment to surfaces
  • reproduction
• • Do - domain
  • Keep - kingdom
  • Pots - phylum
  • Clean - class
  • Or - order
  • Family - family
  • Gets - genus
  • Sick - species
• factors when considering microbial taxonomy:

  • characterisation
  • classification
  • nomenclature
• Characterisation of microbiology includes:

  • morphology of individual cells
  • cultural morphology
  • physiology
  • biochemical characterisitics
  • chemotaxonomic chemical analysis