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Advanced Biology Chapter 27: Prokaryotes Vocabulary Terms Flashcards

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2288662916peptidoglycanA type of polymer in bacterial cell walls consisting of modified sugars cross-linked by short polypeptides.0
2288662917Gram stainA staining method that distinguishes between two different kinds of bacterial cell walls.1
2288662918Gram-positiveDescribing the group of bacteria with a cell wall that is structurally less complex and contains more peptidoglycan than the gram-negative bacteria.2
2288662919Gram-negativeDescribing the group of bacteria with a cell wall that is structurally more complex and contains less peptidoglycan than that of gram-positive bacteria.3
2288662920capsuleA sticky layer that surrounds the cell walls of some prokaryotes, protecting the cell surface and sometimes helping to glue the cell to surfaces.4
2288662921fimbriaeA short, hairlike prokaryotic appendage that functions in adherence to the substrate or to other cells.5
2288662922piliA long, hairlike prokaryotic appendage that functions in adherence or in the transfer of DNA during conjugation.6
2288662923taxisMovement toward or away from a stimulus.7
2288662924nucleoid regionThe region in a prokaryotic cell consisting of a concentrated mass of DNA.8
2288662925plasmidsA small ring of DNA that carries accessory genes separate from those of a bacterial chromosome9
2288662926endosporesA thick-coated, resistant cell produced within a bacterial cell exposed to harsh conditions10
2288662927obligate aerobesAn organism that requires oxygen for cellular respiration and cannot live without it.11
2288662928facultative anaerobesAn organism that makes ATP by aerobic respiration if oxygen is present but that switches to fermentation under anaerobic conditions.12
2288662929obligate anaerobesAn organism that cannot use oxygen and is poisoned by it.13
2288662930anaerobic respirationThe use of inorganic molecules other than oxygen to accept electrons at the "downhill" end of electron transport chains.14
2288662931nitrogen fixationThe assimilation of atmospheric nitrogen by certain prokaryotes into nitrogenous compounds that can be directly used by plants.15
2288662932biofilmsA surface-coating colony of prokaryotes that engage in metabolic cooperation.16
2288662933extremophilesA prokaryote that lives in an extreme environment; includes methanogens, extreme heliophiles, and extreme thermophiles17
2288662934extreme thermophilesA prokaryote that thrives in hot environments (often 60-80 degrees C or hotter)18
2288662935extreme halophilesA prokaryote that lives in a highly saline environment, such as the Great Salt Lake or the Dead Sea.19
2288662936methanogensA microorganism that obtains energy by using carbon dioxide to oxidize hydrogen, producing methane as a waste product.20
2288662937decomposersAny of the saprobic fungi and prokaryotes that absorb nutrients from nonliving organic material such as corpses, fallen plant material, and the wastes of living organisms, and convert them into inorganic forms.21
2288662938symbiosisAn ecological relationship between organisms of two different species that live together in direct contact.22
2288662939hostThe larger participant in a symbiotic relationship, serving as home and feeding ground to the symbiont.23
2288662940symbiontThe smaller participant in a symbiotic relationship, living in or on the host.24
2288662941mutualismA symbiotic relationship in which both participants benefit.25
2288662942commensalismA symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits but the other is neither helped nor harmed.26
2288662943parasitismA symbiotic relationship in which the symbiont (parasite) benefits at the expense of the host by living either within the host (as an endoparasite) or outside the host (as an ectoparasite)27
2288662944parasiteAn organism that benefits by living in or on another organism at the expense of the host.28
2288662945exotoxinsA toxic protein that is secreted by a prokaryote and that produces specific symptoms even in the absence of the prokaryote.29
2288662946endotoxinsA toxic component of the outer membrane of certain gram-negative bacteria that is released only when the bacteria die.30
2288662947bioremediationThe use of living organisms to detoxify and restore polluted and degraded ecosystems.31

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