Prokaryotes, Viruses, and Protistans

MICROBIOLOGY
alga plural algae. Photosynthetic protistans, mainly; most are members of
phytoplankton.
algal bloom Huge increases in aquatic algal population sizes after nutrient enrichments.
Archaebacteria Kingdom of prokaryotes more like eukaryotic cells than eubacteria; includes
methanogens, halophiles, and thermophiles.
bacterial
Transfer of plasmid DNA from one prokaryotic cell to another.
conjugation
bacteriophage Category of viruses that infect bacterial cells.
binary fission Asexual reproductive mode; the body of protozoans and some other animals
divides in two parts. See prokaryotic fission.
brown alga Mostly marine, photoautotrophic protistan, such as kelp, with chlorophylls a, c1,
and c2, and carotenoids (e.g., fucoxanthin).
chrysophyte A category of photosynthetic protistans (e.g., golden algae, yellow-green algae,
coccolithophores, diatoms).
contractile (kun-trak-till vak-you-ohl) [L. contractus, to draw together] Organelle in some
vacuole protistans; takes up excess water and contracts to expel water through a pore.
cyst Of many microorganisms, a resting stage with thick outer layers that typically
forms under adverse conditions. Of skin, abnormal, fluid-filled sac without an
external opening.
dinoflagellate Type of single-celled, flagellated, cellulose-plated protistan. Most are producers
of marine phytoplankton; some cause red tides.
disease Outcome of infection when defenses aren't mobilized fast enough and a
pathogen's activities interfere with normal body functions.
endospore Resting structure formed by some bacteria; encloses a duplicate of the bacterial
chromosome and a portion of cytoplasm.
Eubacteria Kingdom of all prokaryotic cells except archaebacteria.
euglenoid Single-celled, flagellated protistan; photosynthetic but with heterotrophic feeding
apparatus (it had phagocytic ancestors).
extreme
Archaebacterium of unusually saline habitats (e.g., salt lakes).
halophile
extreme
Archaebacterium of very hot aquatic habitats (e.g., hot springs).
thermophile
green alga Type of protistan biochemically, evolutionarily, and structurally most like plants
(e.g., most are photoautotrophs with starch grains and chlorophylls a, b in
chloroplasts).
heterocyst Cyanobacterial cell, self-modified, that synthesizes a nitrogen-fixing enzyme
when nitrogen supplies dwindle.
infection Invasion and multiplication of a pathogen in a host. Disease follows if defenses
are not mobilized fast enough; the pathogen's activities interfere with normal
body functions.
lysis [Gk. lysis, a loosening] Gross damage to a plasma membrane, cell wall, or both
that lets the cytoplasm leak out; causes cell death.
methanogen Anaerobic archaebacterium that produces methane gas as by-product.
microorganism Organism, usually single celled, too small to be observed without a microscope.

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numerical Study of the degree of relatedness between an unidentified organism and a
taxonomy known group through comparisons of traits. Used to classify prokaryotic species.
pathogen [Gk. pathos, suffering, + genes, origin] Any virus, bacterium, fungus, protistan, or
parasitic worm that can infect an organism, multiply in it, and cause disease.
phytoplankton [Gk. phyton, plant, + planktos, wandering] Aquatic community of floating or
weakly swimming photoautotrophs (e.g., pastures of the seas).
plankton [Gk. planktos, wandering] Of aquatic habitats, a community of suspended or
weakly swimming organisms, mostly microscopic.
prion Small infectious protein that causes rare, fatal degenerative diseases of the
nervous system.
prokaryotic
Cell division mechanism by which a bacterial cell reproduces.
fission
protistan [Gk. protistos, primal] Photoautotroph or heterotroph (or both) unlike bacteria;
some like earliest eukaryotic cells. Has a nucleus, larger ribosomes,
mitochondria, ER, Golgi bodies, chromosomes with numerous proteins, and
cytoskeletal microtubules. Range in size from microscopic algae to giant kelps.
protozoan Type of protistan that may be like the single-celled heterotrophs that gave rise to
animals. Amoeboid, animal-like, and ciliated protozoans are major categories.
red alga Type of photoautotrophic protistan; most are multicelled and aquatic; an
abundance of phycobilins masks their chlorophyll a.
sporozoan Type of parasitic protistan. Forms a motile infective stage inside specific host
cells; some form cysts. One end of the body has a complex of structures used to
penetrate hosts.
viroid Infectious particle of short, tightly folded strands or circles of RNA.
virus A noncellular infectious agent made of DNA or RNA, a protein coat and, in some,
an outer lipid envelope; it can be replicated only after its genetic material enters a
host cell and subverts the host's metabolic machinery