 | Term | Definition |
| |
prokaryotes |
unicellular organisma that lack a nucleous |
| |
bacilli |
rod shaped prokaryotes |
| |
cocci |
spherical prokaryotes |
| |
spirilla |
spiral or corck-screw shaped prokaryotes |
| |
chemoheterotrophs |
organism that must take in organic molecules for both energy and carbon |
| |
photoheterotrophs |
organism that is photosynthetic but needs organic compounds as a carbon source |
| |
photoautotroph |
organism that uses energy from sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water to carbon compounds |
| |
chemoautotrophs |
organism that makes organic carbon molecules from carbon dioxide using energy from chemical reactions |
| |
obligate aerobes |
organisms that require a constant supply of oxygen in order to live |
| |
obligate anaerobes |
organisms that must live in the absence of oxygen |
| |
facultative anaerobes |
organisms that are able to function in different ways, depending on their environment with or without oxygen |
| |
binary fission |
type of asexual reproduction in which an organism replicates its DNA and divides in half, producing two identical daughter cells |
| |
conjugation |
form of sexual reproduction in which paramecia and some prokaryotes exchange genetic information |
| |
endospore |
type of spore formed when a bacterium produces a thick internal wall that encloses its DNA and a protion of its cytoplasm |
| |
nitrogen fixation |
the process of converting nitrogen gas into a form plants can use |
| |
viruses |
particles of nucleic acid, protein, and in some cases lipids |
| |
capsid |
a virus's protein coat |
| |
bacteriophages |
viruses that infect bacteria |
| |
lytic infection |
process in which a virus enters a cell, makes a copy of itself, and causes the cell to burst |
| |
lysogenic infection |
process by which a virus embeds its DNA into the DNA of the host cell and is replicated along with the host's cells DNA |
| |
prophage |
the viral DNA that is embeded in the host's DNA |
| |
retroviruses |
virus that contains RNA as its genetic information |
| |
pathogens |
disease causing agents |
| |
vaccine |
a preparation of weakened or killed pathogens |
| |
antibiotics |
compounds that block the growth and reproduction of bacteria |
| |
viroids |
single-stranded RNA molecules that have no surrounding capsids |
| |
prion |
protein infectious particles |
