Bio 202 - Chapter 6 Worksheet

Name ________________________

1. Most bacteria that grow in and on our bodies would be described as __mesophilic______.
(mesophilic, thermophilic, or psychrophilic) CHOOSE ONE
List the optimum growth temperatures (or temperature ranges) for each group:
Mesophilic : __25-40C_____ Thermophilic: ___50-60_____ Psychrophilic: __0-15C____
Which of these would be most likely to grow in your refrigerator?
- Psychrophilic
Which of these would be most likely to grow in your compost pile?
- Mesophilic
How might we describe an organism that grows at 115oC, near deep sea hydrothermal vents?
- Thermophilic
2. DEFINE thermoduric (do an Internet search for this one or check p.182 and text glossary):
- Bacteria that can survive high temperatures, specifically pasteurization.
3. What happens when bacteria are placed in a hypotonic environment?
- If the cell wall is intact, the hypotonic environment is generally not harmful. If the cell wall is weak,
water tends to flow into the cell and the cell may burst or lyse.
4. What happens when bacteria are placed in a hypertonic environment?
- The high osmotic pressure acts to remove necessary water from the cell. In a hypertonic environment,
the cellular water passes out through the plasma membrane to the area of high solute concentration. The osmotic
loss of water causes plasmolysis, the shrinking of the cells cytoplasm.
5. What is an extreme halophile? Name an environment likely to be inhabited by a halophile.
- Organisms that have adapted to well to high salt concentrations that they actually require them for
growth. Halophiles may be found in saline waters like the Dead Sea.
6. Name two chemical environmental conditions that will inhibit the growth of bacteria in food
a. High salt concentration

b. High sugar concentration

7. All bacteria that grow in and on our bodies are heterotrophic.

(autotrophic or heterotrophic)
8. Name the 6 most abundant elements found in cells.
1) Carbon
2) Hydrogen
3) Nitrogen
4) Oxygen
5) Phosphorus
6) Sulfate
9. Why do bacterial cells need a nitrogen source?
- To form the amino group of the amino acids of proteins so they can undergo protein synthesis and form
DNA, RNA, and ATP.
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What 2 or 3 macromolecules within the bacterial cell contain nitrogen?

- DNA, RNA, and ATP
10. What are common nitrogen sources for bacteria?
- Decomposing protein-containing material
- Nitrogen from ammonium ions
- Derived from nitrates
11. Define nitrogen-fixation and briefly describe the crucial importance of this process:
- The usage of gaseous nitrogen directly from the atmosphere by both free-living organisms and in
symbiotic association with plants. Since it is the principle source of nitrogen in the soil and plants require it for
growth, it is a very important biochemical process.
12. Define trace elements and provide two examples.
- They are essential for the function of certain enzymes, usually as cofactors. Examples include iron,
copper, molybdenum, and zinc.
13. Define each of the following:
a. Obligate aerobe: Only aerobic growth, oxygen is required.
b. Facultative anaerobe: Both aerobic and anaerobic growth, but greater growth in the presence of
oxygen.
c. Obligate anaerobe: Only anaerobic growth, growth ceases in the presence of oxygen.
d. Microaerophile: Only aerobic growth, oxygen required in low concentration.

Toxic forms of oxygen will be discussed in lecture.

14. Define biofilm.
- A thin, slimy layer encasing bacteria that adheres to a surface.
15. List two examples of medically important biofilms.
a. Candida: a fungus related to the use of contact lenses, dental caries, and infections by pseudomonad
bacteria.
b. Cystic fibrosis biofilms
16. Why are biofilms so important, medically?
- Microbes in biofilms are probably 1000 times more resistant to microbicides. The CDC estimates that
70% of human bacterial infection involve biofilms. They are found on almost all indwelling medical devices.s
17. Briefly indicate two strategies for blocking biofilm formation in the body:
a. Incorporate antimicrobials into surfaces on which biofilms might form.
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b. The discovery that lactoferrin can inhibit biofilm formation, inhibiting the surface motility that is
essential for the aggregation of the bacteria into biofilms.
CULTURE MEDIA
18. Define culture medium
- A nutrient material prepared for the growth of microorganisms in a laboratory.
19. Define inoculum
- Microbes that are introduced into a culture medium to initiate growth.
20. Define sterile
- Initially containing no living microorganisms so that the culture will contain only the microbes and
their offspring that have been added to the medium.
21. What substance is used in bacterial media to solidify it?
- Agar
22. What nutrients are provided by the substance in #22?
- The agar is not a source of nutrients.
23. Give 2 examples of enriched media. (NOT enrichment media) (check the web the answer is not
inobvious in your text)
1) Chocolate agar
2) Blood agar
24. In lab we frequently use a medium called TSA. What does TSA stand for?
- Trypticase soy agar
25. What is a general term used for media that can be used to cultivate anaerobic bacteria?
- Reducing media
26. Describe the following two ways of cultivating anaerobes (providing an O2-free environment):
a. Anaerobe jar
- The microoganisms are incubated in sealed boxes and jars in which the oxygen is chemically
removed after the culture plate have been introduced and the container sealed. The envelope of chemicals is
opened to expose it to oxygen in the containers atmosphere. Each individual Petri plate becomes an anaerobic
chamber.
b. Anaerobic chamber (glove box)
- A chamber is filled with inert gases and is equipped with air locks to introduce cultures and
materials.
27. a. Define capnophile (capnophilic):
- Microbes that grow better at high CO2 concentrations.
b. What are three ways of providing a capnophilic environment?
1) Carbon dioxide incubators
2) Candle jars
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3) Chemical packets that are used to generate carbon dioxide atmospheres in containers
25. Distinguish between selective and differential media.
- Selective media: designed to suppress the growth of unwanted bacteria and encourage the growth of
the desired microbes.
- Differential media: make it easier to distinguish colonies of the desired organism from other colonies
growing on the same plate.
USE the CULTURE MEDIA CONCEPT MAP handout to organize and learn information about the
different kinds of culture media.
26. What is the streak plate method used for?
- To isolate pure cultures
27. What is meant by the term pure culture?
- A pure culture contains only one species or strain
28. What is binary fission?
- The method bacterial cells divide or reproduce by
29. What is meant by bacterial growth? Is it an increase in the # of bacteria, or the size of the bacterial cells?
- An increase in bacterial numbers
30. Define generation time.
- The time required for a cell to divide and its population to double
31. List several ways that microbial growth can be measured.
1) Direct methods
- Plate counts
- Filtration
- Direct microscopic count
2) Indirect methods
- Turbidity
- Metabolic activity
- Dry weight

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32. Draw, label the x and y axis and the 4 phases of a bacterial growth curve.

33. Why is there a lag phase?

- There is intense activity preparing for population growth, but no increase in population.
34. What two things results in a slowing of growth in the stationary phase?
- Exhaustion of nutrients, accumulation of waste products, and harmful changes in the pH.
35. During which stage are organisms most likely to provide the best, most reliable results for gram stains,
biochemical testing, and antibiotic susceptibility testing?
- Log Phase
36. During which stage will endospore-formers begin to produce endospores?
- Stationary Phase

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Bio 202 (2016)