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6.E: Prokaryotic Diversity (Exercises)

  • Page ID
    142394
    • Ying Liu, Serena Chang, Grace Murphy, Esther Ajayi-Akinsulire, Isobel Ardren, Izabella Guy, Kai Johnston, Saskia Lee, and Lauren Russell
    • City College of San Francisco

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    6.1: Prokaryote Habitats, Relationships, and Microbiomes

    Prokaryotes are unicellular microorganisms whose cells have no nucleus. Prokaryotes can be found everywhere on our planet, even in the most extreme environments. Prokaryotes are very flexible metabolically, so they are able to adjust their feeding to the available natural resources. Prokaryotes live in communities that interact among themselves and with large organisms that they use as hosts (including humans).

    Multiple Choice

    The term prokaryotes refers to which of the following?

    1. very small organisms
    2. unicellular organisms that have no nucleus
    3. multicellular organisms
    4. cells that resemble animal cells more than plant cells
    Answer

    B

    The term microbiota refers to which of the following?

    1. all microorganisms of the same species
    2. all of the microorganisms involved in a symbiotic relationship
    3. all microorganisms in a certain region of the human body
    4. all microorganisms in a certain geographic region
    Answer

    C

    Which of the following refers to the type of interaction between two prokaryotic populations in which one population benefits and the other is not affected?

    1. mutualism
    2. commensalism
    3. parasitism
    4. neutralism
    Answer

    B

    True/False

    Among prokaryotes, there are some that can live in every environment on earth.

    Answer

    True

    Fill in the Blank

    When prokaryotes live as interacting communities in which one population benefits to the harm of the other, the type of symbiosis is called ________.

    Answer

    parasitism

    The domain ________ does not include prokaryotes.

    Answer

    Eukarya

    Pathogenic bacteria that are part of the transient microbiota can sometimes be eliminated by ________ therapy.

    Answer

    antibiotic

    Nitrogen-fixing bacteria provide other organisms with usable nitrogen in the form of ________.

    Answer

    ammonia

    Short Answer

    Compare commensalism and amensalism.

    Give an example of the changes of human microbiota that result from medical intervention.

    6.2: Proteobacteria

    Proteobacteria is a phylum of gram-negative bacteria and are classified into the classes alpha-, beta-, gamma-, delta- and epsilonproteobacteria, each class having separate orders, families, genera, and species. Alphaproteobacteria are oligotrophs. The taxa chlamydias and rickettsias are obligate intracellular pathogens, feeding on cells of host organisms; they are metabolically inactive outside of the host cell. Some Alphaproteobacteria can convert atmospheric nitrogen to nitrites.

    Multiple Choice

    Which of the following describes Proteobacteria in domain Bacteria?

    1. phylum
    2. class
    3. species
    4. genus
    Answer

    A

    All Alphaproteobacteria are which of the following?

    1. oligotrophs
    2. intracellular
    3. pathogenic
    4. all of the above
    5. none of the above
    Answer

    A

    Class Betaproteobacteria includes all but which of the following genera?

    1. Neisseria.
    2. Bordetella.
    3. Leptothrix.
    4. Campylobacter.
    Answer

    D

    Haemophilus influenzae is a common cause of which of the following?

    1. influenza
    2. dysentery
    3. upper respiratory tract infections
    4. hemophilia
    Answer

    C

    Fill in the Blank

    Rickettsias are ________ intracellular bacteria.

    Answer

    obligate

    The species ________, which belongs to Epsilonproteobacteria, causes peptic ulcers of the stomach and duodenum.

    Answer

    Helicobacter pylori

    The genus Salmonella belongs to the class ________ and includes pathogens that cause salmonellosis and typhoid fever.

    Answer

    Gammaproteobacteria

    Short Answer

    What is the metabolic difference between coliforms and noncoliforms? Which category contains several species of intestinal pathogens?

    Why are Mycoplasma and Chlamydia classified as obligate intracellular pathogens?

    Critical Thinking

    The cell shown is found in the human stomach and is now known to cause peptic ulcers. What is the name of this bacterium?

    A micrograph of a rod shaped cell with many long projections.

    (credit: American Society for Microbiology)

    6.3: Nonproteobacteria Gram-negative Bacteria and Phototrophic Bacteria

    Gram-negative nonproteobacteria include the taxa spirochetes; the Cytophaga, Fusobacterium, Bacteroides group; Planctomycetes; and many representatives of phototrophic bacteria. Spirochetes are motile, spiral bacteria with a long, narrow body; they are difficult or impossible to culture. Several genera of spirochetes contain human pathogens that cause such diseases as syphilis and Lyme disease. Cytophaga, Fusobacterium, and Bacteroides are classified together as a phylum called the CFB group.

    Multiple Choice

    Which of the following is the organelle that spirochetes use to propel themselves?

    1. plasma membrane
    2. axial filament
    3. pilum
    4. fimbria
    Answer

    B

    Which of the following bacteria are the most prevalent in the human gut?

    1. cyanobacteria
    2. staphylococci
    3. Borrelia
    4. Bacteroides
    Answer

    D

    Which of the following refers to photosynthesis performed by bacteria with the use of water as the donor of electrons?

    1. oxygenic
    2. anoxygenic
    3. heterotrophic
    4. phototrophic
    Answer

    A

    Fill in the Blank

    The bacterium that causes syphilis is called ________.

    Answer

    Treponema pallidum pallidum

    Bacteria in the genus Rhodospirillum that use hydrogen for oxidation and fix nitrogen are ________ bacteria.

    Answer

    purple nonsulfur

    Short Answer

    Explain the term CFB group and name the genera that this group includes.

    Name and briefly describe the bacterium that causes Lyme disease.

    Characterize the phylum Cyanobacteria.

    6.4: Gram-positive Bacteria

    Gram-positive bacteria are a very large and diverse group of microorganisms. Understanding their taxonomy and knowing their unique features is important for diagnostics and treatment of infectious diseases. Gram-positive bacteria are classified into high G+C gram-positive and low G+C gram-positive bacteria, based on the prevalence of guanine and cytosine nucleotides in their genome.

    Multiple Choice

    Which of the following bacterial species is classified as high G+C gram-positive?

    1. Corynebacterium diphtheriae
    2. Staphylococcus aureus
    3. Bacillus anthracis
    4. Streptococcus pneumonia
    Answer

    A

    Fill in the Blank

    Streptococcus is the ________ of bacteria that is responsible for many human diseases.

    Answer

    genus

    One species of Streptococcus, S. pyogenes, is a classified as a ________ pathogen due to the characteristic production of pus in infections it causes.

    Answer

    pyogenic

    Propionibacterium belongs to ________ G+C gram-positive bacteria. One of its species is used in the food industry and another causes acne.

    Answer

    high

    Short Answer

    Name and describe two types of S. aureus that show multiple antibiotic resistance.

    Critical Thinking

    The microscopic growth pattern shown is characteristic of which genus of bacteria?

    A micrograph  showing clusters of spherical cells.

    (credit: modification of work by Janice Haney Carr/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)


    This page titled 6.E: Prokaryotic Diversity (Exercises) is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Ying Liu, Serena Chang, Grace Murphy, Esther Ajayi-Akinsulire, Isobel Ardren, Izabella Guy, Kai Johnston, Saskia Lee, and Lauren Russell via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.