5.2.7: Key Terms

Last updated
Save as PDF

Page ID: 97127

\( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

acidophile: organism with optimal growth pH of three or below

alkaliphile: organism with optimal growth pH of nine or above

ammonification: process by which ammonia is released during the decomposition of nitrogen-containing organic compounds

anaerobic: refers to organisms that grow without oxygen

anoxic: without oxygen

antibiotic: biological substance that, in low concentration, is antagonistic to the growth of prokaryotes

biofilm: microbial community that is held together by a gummy-textured matrix

biological nitrogen fixation: conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia exclusively carried out by prokaryotes

bioremediation: use of microbial metabolism to remove pollutants

biotechnology: any technological application that uses living organisms, biological systems, or their derivatives to produce or modify other products

Black Death: devastating pandemic that is believed to have been an outbreak of bubonic plague caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis

botulism: disease produced by the toxin of the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium botulinum

CA-MRSA: MRSA acquired in the community rather than in a hospital

capsule: external structure that enables a prokaryote to attach to surfaces and protects it from dehydration

chemotroph: organism that obtains energy from chemical compounds

conjugation: process by which prokaryotes move DNA from one individual to another using a pilus

cyanobacteria: bacteria that evolved from early phototrophs and oxygenated the atmosphere; also known as blue-green algae

decomposer: organism that carries out the decomposition of dead organisms

denitrification: transformation of nitrate from soil to gaseous nitrogen compounds such as N₂O, NO, and N₂

emerging disease: disease making an initial appearance in a population or that is increasing in incidence or geographic range

endemic disease: disease that is constantly present, usually at low incidence, in a population

epidemic: disease that occurs in an unusually high number of individuals in a population at the same time

extremophile: organism that grows under extreme or harsh conditions

foodborne disease: any illness resulting from the consumption of contaminated food, or of the pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or other parasites that contaminate food

Gram negative: bacterium whose cell wall contains little peptidoglycan but has an outer membrane

Gram positive: bacterium that contains mainly peptidoglycan in its cell walls

halophile: organism that require a salt concentration of at least 0.2 M

hydrothermal vent: fissure in Earth’s surface that releases geothermally heated water

hyperthermophile: organism that grows at temperatures between 80–122 °C

microbial mat: multi-layered sheet of prokaryotes that may include bacteria and archaea

MRSA: (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) very dangerous Staphylococcus aureus strain resistant to multiple antibiotics

nitrification: conversion of ammonium into nitrite and nitrate in soils

nitrogen fixation: process by which gaseous nitrogen is transformed, or “fixed” into more readily available forms such as ammonia

nodule: novel structure on the roots of certain plants (legumes) that results from the symbiotic interaction between the plant and soil bacteria, and is the site of nitrogen fixation

nutrient: essential substances for growth, such as carbon and nitrogen

osmophile: organism that grows in a high sugar concentration

pandemic: widespread, usually worldwide, epidemic disease

peptidoglycan: material composed of polysaccharide chains cross-linked to unusual peptides

phototroph: organism that is able to make its own food by converting solar energy to chemical energy

pilus: surface appendage of some prokaryotes used for attachment to surfaces including other prokaryotes

pseudopeptidoglycan: component of archaea cell walls that is similar to peptidoglycan in morphology but contains different sugars

psychrophile: organism that grows at temperatures of -15 °C or lower

radioresistant: organism that grows in high levels of radiation

resuscitation: process by which prokaryotes that are in the VBNC state return to viability

S-layer: surface-layer protein present on the outside of cell walls of archaea and bacteria

serotype: strain of bacterium that carries a set of similar antigens on its cell surface, often many in a bacterial species

stromatolite: layered sedimentary structure formed by precipitation of minerals by prokaryotes in microbial mats

teichoic acid: polymer associated with the cell wall of Gram-positive bacteria

thermophile: organism that lives at temperatures between 60–80 °C

transduction: process by which a bacteriophage moves DNA from one prokaryote to another

transformation: process by which a prokaryote takes in DNA found in its environment that is shed by other prokaryotes

viable-but-non-culturable (VBNC) state: survival mechanism of bacteria facing environmental stress conditions

zoonosis: disease that primarily infects animals that is transmitted to humans