Michael Madigan John Martinko

Brock Biology of
Microorganisms
Eleventh Edition
Chapter 2:
An Overview of Microbial Life

Copyright 2006 Pearson Prentice Hall, Inc.

Chapter2
ICELLSTRUCTUREANDEVOLUTIONARY
HISTORY
2.1ElementsofCellandViralStructure
EukaryoticCells
ProkaryoticCells
Viruses
2.2ArrangementofDNAinMicrobialCells
Nucleusvs.Nucleoid
Genes,Genomes,andProteins
2.3TheTreeofLife
TheThreeDomainsofLife
Eukarya
ContributionsofMolecularSequencingtoMicrobiology

IIMICROBIALDIVERSITY
2.4PhysiologicalDiversityofMicroorganisms
Chemoorganotrophs
Chemolithotrophs
Phototrophs
HeterotrophsandAutotrophs
HabitatsandExtremeEnvironments
2.5ProkaryoticDiversity
Bacteria
Archaea
PhylogeneticAnalysesofNaturalMicrobialCommunities
2.6EukaryoticMicroorganisms
EukaryoticMicrobialDiversity
FinalRemarks

AnOverviewofMicrobialLife

I
CELLSTRUCTUREAND
EVOLUTIONARYHISTORY

2.1ElementsofCell
andViralStructure

EukaryoticCells

ProkaryoticCells

Viruses

2.1ConceptCheck
Allmicrobialcellssharecertainbasicstructuresincommonsuchas
acytoplasmicmembrane,ribosomes,and(usually)acellwall.Two
structuraltypesofcellsarerecognized:theprokaryoteandthe
eukaryote.Virusesarenotcellsbutdependoncellsfortheir
replication.
Bylookinginsideacellhowcouldyoutellifitwas
prokaryoticoreukaryotic?
Whatimportantfunctiondoribosomesplayincells?
Howlongisatypicalrodshapedbacterialcell?Howmuch
largerareyouthanthissinglecell?

2.2ArrangementofDNAin
MicrobialCells

Nucleusvs.Nucleoid

Genes,Genomes,andProteins

2.2ConceptCheck
Genesgovernthepropertiesofcells,andacellscomplementof
genesiscalleditsgenome.DNAisarrangedincellstoform
chromosomes.Inprokaryotesthereisusuallyasinglecircular
chromosome,whileineukaryotes,severallinearchromosomes
exist.
Differentiatebetweenthenucleusandthenucleoid.
Howdoplasmidsdifferfromchromosomes?
Whydoesitmakesensethatahumancellwouldhave
moregenesthanabacterialcell?

2.3TheTreeofLife

TheThreeDomainsofLife

Eukarya

ContributionsofMolecular
SequencingtoMicrobiology

2.3ConceptCheck
ComparativeribosomalRNAsequencinghasdefinedthethree
domainsoflife:Bacteria,Archaea,andEukarya.Molecular
sequencinghasalsoshownthatthemajororganellesofEukarya
haveevolutionaryrootsintheBacteriaandhasyieldednewtools
formicrobialecologyandclinicalmicrobiology.
HowcanBacteriaandArchaeabedifferentiated?Inwhat
waysaretheysimilar?
Whatmolecularevidencesupportsthetheoryof
endosymbiosis?

II
MICROBIALDIVERSITY

2.4PhysiologicalDiversityof
Microorganisms

Chemoorganotrophs

Chemolithotrophs

Phototrophs

HeterotrophsandAutotrophs

HabitatsandExtreme
Environments

2.4ConceptCheck
Carbonandenergysourcesareneededbyallcells.Theterms
chemoorganotroph,chemolithotroph,andphototrophrefertocells
thatuseorganicchemicals,inorganicchemicals,orlight,
respectively,astheirsourceofenergy.Autotrophicorganismsuse
CO2astheircarbonsource,whileheterotrophsuseorganiccarbon.
Extremophilesthriveunderenvironmentalconditionsthathigher
organismscannot.
Howmightyoudistinguishaphototrophicmicroorganism
fromachemotrophiconebysimplylookingatitundera
microscope?
Whatareextremophiles?

2.5ProkaryoticDiversity

Bacteria

Archaea

PhylogeneticAnalysesofNatural
MicrobialCommunities

2.5ConceptCheck
SeverallineagesarepresentinthedomainsBacteriaandArchaea,
andanenormousdiversityofcellmorphologiesandphysiologies
arerepresentedthere.RetrievalandanalysisofribosomalRNA
genesfromcellsinnaturalsampleshaveshownthatmany
phylogeneticallydistinctbutasyetunculturedprokaryotesexistin
nature.
Whatimportantbacterialspeciesthatresidesinyourgutisamemberof
theProteobacteria?
WhycanitbesaidthatthecyanobacteriapreparedEarthforthe
evolutionofhigherlifeforms?
WhatisunusualaboutthegenusHalobacterium?
Howdoweknowaparticularlineageofprokaryoteexistsinanatural
habitatwithoutfirstisolatingandgrowingitinlaboratoryculture?

2.6EukaryoticMicroorganisms

EukaryoticMicrobialDiversity

FinalRemarks

2.6ConceptCheck
Microbialeukaryotesareadiversegroupthatincludesalgae,
protozoa,fungi,andslimemolds.Somealgaeandfungihave
developedmutualisticassociationscalledlichens.
Listatleasttwowaysalgaedifferfromcyanobacteria.
Listatleasttwowaysalgaedifferfromprotozoa.
Howdothecomponentsofalichenbenefiteachother?