BIOL 1262

Living organisms I
Microbiology Section:
Topic No. 1- Origin of
life on earth and
introduction to the
prokaryotes
The Origins of Life on Earth
Creation

Spontaneous Generation Theory
Aristotle-384-322BC

Panspermia
Anaxagoras 500 428BC; mordern versions by Berzelius (1830s) and others

Directed Panspermia

Primordial Soup Theory: chemical evolution
Independently proposed by Oparin (Russian) and Haldane (English) in 1920s



Complexity of a cell
..could it have originated by chance in
a favourable chemical environment?
History of microorganisms on earth
Primodial soup theory
Atmosphere contained key
gases required for synthesis of
amino acids
Ammonia
Hydrogen
Methane
water vapour

Chemical synthesis of the
amino acids occurred due high
energy activation from UV
radiation and lightning.


Demonstration of chemical
synthesis of amino acids
http://leiwen
wu.tripod.co
m/primordial
s.htm
Methane (CH
4
)
Ammonia (NH
3
)
Water (H
2
O)
Hydrogen (H
2
)

Weakness of Primodial soup theory
Can the right combination of proteins occur by
chance to give rise to a single cell?

Evidence to suggest absence of gases required
such as ammonia and methane

Concentrations may be too dilute to give rise to
any significant amount of organic compounds

Question
Could cells have originated from viruses?
Nucleic
acid

Capsid
(Protein coat)
Nucleocapsid
Membrane
(sometimes)
Virion
History of microorganisms on earth
The earliest microorganisms on earth
Extremophiles

Chemolithotrophs
Inorganic compounds for carbon and energy

Anaerobes

History of microorganisms on earth
Chemoheterotrophic bacteria then evolved
Use organic compounds for carbon and energy

Photosynthetic organisms followed
Initially anoxygenic with inorganic compounds
such as H
2
S serving as electron donors

Oxygenic photosynthesis evolved much later
with the adaption to using water as the electron
donor

History of microorganisms on earth
4,600 - Planet earth formed

3,500-3,400- Microbial life present, evidenced by stromatolites

2,800- Cyanobacteria capable of oxygen-evolving photosynthesis

2,000-1,800- Oxygen begins to accumulate in the atmosphere; evolution of
Eukaryotes

1,400- Microbial assemblages of relatively large unicells (algae? )

800-700- Rock deposits containing about 20 different taxa of eukaryotes, including
probable protozoa and filamentous green algae

640- Oxygen reaches 3% of present atmospheric level

650-570- The oldest fossils of multicellular animals, including primitive arthropods

400 onwards- Development of the land flora

100- Mammals, flowering plants, social insects appear
Millions of years ago
Stramatolites
Cyanobacteria
Classification of life
Bacteria
Generally single celled microscopic
prokaryote organisms within the
domains eubacteria and
archaebacteria (prokaryotes);
(Two exceptions just visible to the
naked eye
Epulopiscium fishelsoni a bacillus-shaped
bacterium that is typically 80 micrometers
(m) in diameter and 200-600 m long

Thiomargarita namibiensis, a sperical
bacterium between 100 and 750 m in
diameter




Epulopiscium cell
with four paramacia
Thiomargarita
namibiensis
Bacteria
Reproduce by binary fission;



Two major groups based on Gram staining
Gram positive;
Gram negative;

(Some Gram indifferent or Gram variable)
Bacteria
Gram positive cells
Bacteria
Gram negative cells
Bacteria have variable
morphological features
Variety of shapes
Coccus Spherical
Bacillus Rod-shaped
Spirillium Spiral-shaped
Coccobacillus Short rods (intermediate between coccus
and bacillus)
Vibrio Comma-shaped
Spirochete Corkscrew-shaped
Pleomorphic- variable usually because cell wall is
lacking

Bacteria have variable
morphological features
After cell-division bacteria adopt different cellular
arrangements:
Diplococci bacteria remain in pairs after dividing
Streptococci bacteria remain attached in a chain-like
pattern. Division along single plane.
Tetrads bacteria divide in two planes and remain in groups
of four
Sarcinae bacteria divide in three planes and remain in
groups of eight
Staphyllococci bacteria divide in multiple (random)planes
and remain in clusters
Some are filamentous

Bacteria have variable
morphological features
Filamentous bacteria
Bacterial (eubacterial) phyla
Proteobacteria
Gram negative that form several
classes
-Proteobacteria
- Rhizobia
- Purple non-sulfur photosynthetic
bacteria

-Proteobacteria
- Neisseria gonorrhoeae/ N.
meningitidis

- Proteobacteria
- Enterobacteriaceae- e.g. E. coli,
Salmonella
- Pseudomonads



Bacterial (eubacterial) phyla
Firmicutes
Several of Gram positive
classes
Clostridia e.g. Clostridium botulinum

Bacilli- e.g. Bacillus and
Staphylococcus

Bacterial (eubacterial) phyla
Actinobacteria
Filamentous bacteria e.g.
- Streptomyces (antibiotic
producing group)

- Mycobacterium tuberculosis

- Mycobacterium leprae

- Corynebacterium
diphtheriae

- Propionibacterium acnes.
Bacterial (eubacterial) phyla
Cyanobacteria
Filamentous photosynthetic bacteria

Archaebacterial phyla
Methanogens


Halophiles


Thermoacidophiles