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Procaryotic, unicellular
microorganisms lacking
chlorophyll pigments
Among first life forms to appear
on Earth, no. of habitats
About 108/gram of soil
51030 bacteria on Earth
Inhabit soil, water, acidic hot
springs, radioactive waste
Symbiotic and parasitic: Plants
and animals
Useful as well as harmful
Bacterial Cell Structure
Simple- no nucleus or membrane bound
organelles
Most bacteria are 0.2 um in diameter and 2-8 um
in length
Importance of small size: surface area and
volume ratio is high- high rate of growth &
metabolism
Vary in shape, size and structure
Maintain a definite shape due to presence of
rigid cell wall
Remarkable amount of variation due to
differences in genetics and ecology
Shape and Arrangement
Bacteria have one of three shapes:
- Spherical (cocci; s. coccus)-
- Rod (bacillus; pl., bacilli): eg. Bacillus spp.
- Spiral (vibrio)
Coccobacilli being so short and wide that they
resemble cocci
Pleomorphic - Bacterium with varying shapes eg.
Corynebacterium diphtheriae
Oval to pear-shaped Hyphomicrobium produces a
bud at the end of a long hypha
Gallionella produce nonliving stalks
Cocci may be oval, elongated, or flattened on one side
Cocci may remain attached after cell division
Neisseria
Streptococcus,
Enterococcus,
and Lactococcus
Staphylococcus
Bacterial Shapes
Bacilli only divide across their short axis there are fewer groupings
Rods end often varies between species and may be flat, rounded, cigar-
shaped, or bifurcated
Bacterial Shapes
Bacilli only divide across their short axis there are fewer groupings