Chapter Objectives

1. List unique characteristics that distinguish archaea from bacteria
2. Describe the 3-domain system of classification and explain how it differs from previous systems
3. Using a diagram or micrograph, distinguish among the 3 most common shapes of prokaryotes
4. Describe the structure and functions of prokaryotic cell walls
5. Distinguish between the structure and staining properties of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria
6. Explain why disease-causing gram-negative bacterial species are generally more pathogenic than disease-causing gram-positive bacteria
7. Describe 3 mechanisms motile bacteria use to move
8. Explain how prokaryotic flagella work and why they are not considered to be homologous to eukaryotic flagella
9. Indicate where photosynthesis and cellular respiration take place in prokaryotic cells
10. Explain how organization of the prokaryotic genome differs from that in eukaryotic cells
11. Explain what is meant by geometric growth
12. List the sources of genetic variation in prokaryotes and indicate which one is the major source
13. Distinguish between autotrophs and heterotrophs
14. Describe 4 modes of bacterial nutrition and give examples of each
15. Distinguish among obligate aerobes, facultative anaerobes, and obligate anaerobes
16. Describe, with supporting evidence, plausible scenarios for the evolution of metabolic diversity of prokaryotes
17. Explain how molecular systematics has been used in developing a classification of prokaryotes
18. List the 3 main groups of archaea, describe distinguishing features among the groups, and give examples of each
19. List the major groups of bacteria, describe their mode of nutrition, some characteristic features, and representative examples
20. Explain how endospores are formed and who endospore-forming bacteria are important to the food-canning industry
21. Explain how the presence of E. coli in public water supplies can be used as an indicator of water quality
22. State which organism is responsible for the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States
23. Describe how mycoplasmas are unique from other prokaryotes
24. Explain why all life on earth depends upon the metabolic diversity of prokaryotes
25. Distinguish among mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism
26. List Koch's postulates tat are used to substantiate a specific pathogen as the cause of a disease
27. Distinguish between exotoxins and endotoxins
28. Describe how humans exploit the metabolic diversity of prokaryotes for scientific and commercial purposes
29. Describe how Streptomyces can be used commercially

Chapter Terms:

Chapter Outline Framework

1. The World of Prokaryotes
   1. Overview of prokaryotic life
   2. Bacteria and Archaea as 2 main branches of prokaryotic evolution
2. Structure, Function, and Reproduction
   1. Nearly all prokaryotes have cell walls external to their plasma membranes
   2. Many prokaryotes are motile
   3. The cellular and genomic organizationof prokaryotes is fundamentally different from that of eukaryotes
   4. Populations of prokaryotes grow and adapt rapidly
3. Nutritional and Metabolic Diversity
   1. Prokaryotes cna ge grouped into 4 categories according to how they obtain energy and carbon
   2. The evolution of prokaryotic metabolism was both cause and effect of changing environments on earth
4. Phylogeny of Prokaryotes
   1. Molecular systematics is leading to a phylogenetic classification of prokaryotes
5. Ecological Impact of Prokaryotes
   1. Prokaryotes are indispensable links in the recycling of chemical elements in the ecosystem
   2. Many prokaryotes are symbiotic
   3. Humans use prokaryotes in research and technology

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