Midterm –Review

Ch6: Microbial growth

 How does temperature influence growth?

 How are microorganisms classified based on their temperature requirement for
growth? What range of temperature does each group exist? Use examples of each
group.
 What are the classification groups based on pH?
 How are bacteria classified based on their preference for salty environment?
 Explain how we use osmotic pressure to control microbial growth.
 What are the functions of carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus in microbial
growth?
 How are microbes classified on the basis of oxygen requirements?
 What is the media used for figuring out the oxygen requirement of organisms
and what are the patterns of growth for each group in this media?
 Compare and contrast facultative anaerobes with aerotolerant organisms.
 What are the different enzymes needed to break down toxic oxygen forms and
what does each enzyme do to detoxify?
 Discuss biofilms and their potential for causing infection.
 Distinguish between chemically defined and complex media.
 What is (are) the purpose(s) each of these media serve: selective, differential
media, and enrichment media? Cite some examples of their use.
 Define colony, colony forming unit (CFU), Pure Culture, Generation time.
 What is the most commonly used pure culture technique?
 Calculate microbial growth based on generation time.
 What are the phases of microbial growth in a bacterial growth curve and what is
(are) the features of each growth phase?
 Compare the different methods used for measuring microbial growth.
 Differentiate direct and indirect methods of measuring cell growth.

Ch8: Microbial Genetics

 What does the following terms represent? genetics, genome, chromosome, gene,
genetic code, genotype, phenotype, and genomics.
 Describe the structure of DNA and how genetic information is stored in DNA.
 What are the major enzymes involved in DNA replication and list their function(s)?
 What are the processes involved in gene expression?
 Describe the overall of process of transcription, RNA processing, and translation
and their significance in protein synthesis.
 Compare protein synthesis in eukaryotes and prokaryotes.
 What are the components of an operon?
 Differentiate between inducible operon and repressive operon.
 How does catabolic repression work?
 Differentiate horizontal and vertical gene transfer.
 Compare the mechanisms (Transduction, transformation, Conjugation) of genetic
recombination in bacteria.
 What is point mutation? How does point mutation happen?
 Differentiate between silent, missense and nonsense mutations.
 What are mutagens? Name important chemical and physical mutagens and their
effect on DNA.
 Identify the purpose of and outline the procedure for the Ames test.

Ch9 :Biotechnology

 What is the purpose of PCR and how is PCR used in biotechnology?

 List at least five applications of rDNA technology in medicine.
 Discuss the value of the Human Genome Project.

Ch10: Classification of Microorganisms

 Differentiate taxonomy, and phylogeny.

 Compare the characteristics of the Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya domains.
 How are scientific names constructed? What are the rules you need to follow
when writing a scientific name?
 Define terms: Culture, pure culture
 What is the difference between species and strain in prokaryotes.
 List the major characteristics used to differentiate the three kingdoms of
multicellular Eukarya.
 How are species defined among eukaryotes, prokaryotes, and viruses
 Describe how morphology, staining and biochemical tests are used in
identification of bacteria.
 What is the principle behind serological testing? What are the different type of
serological methods?
 What is the principle used in nucleic acid hybridization? Which techniques
involve nucleic acid hybridization?
 List specific purposes and the principle behind the following methods; Serology,
Phage Typing, flow cytometry, DNA finger printing, Southern blotting, DNA
Chips, FISH?
 Differentiate a dichotomous key from a cladogram.