Biology 203 Review Questions for Exam I

  1. What is Microbiology? What is included in this? Give examples of 6 types of microorganisms.
  2. What contributions were made to the filed by van Leuvwenhoek, Pasteur, Koch, Fleming and Lister?
  3. Distinguish between simple stain, differential stain, negative stain, special stain. How would these look under a microscope?
  4. Explain the advantage of using a bright-field microscope, dark-field, phase-contrast, Nomarski, and Electron microscope. What magnification can these attain?
  5. What are some examples of new microscope innovations?
  6. What are defined media? Complex media? Differential media? Enriched media? Selective media?
  7. Compare the approximate sizes of viruses, bacteria, and eukaryotes.
  8. What are the functions of the following cell components? Cell membrane, cytoplasm, ribosomes, nucleus, mitochondria, chloroplasts, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, lysosomes, microtubules, cell wall, cilia, flagella. Which of these are not found in bacteria?
  9. How do the ribosomes, cell walls, membranes, chromosomes, and flagella of bacteria differ from those of eukaryotic cells?
  10. Describe the composition of a cell membrane.  What function do these components have?
  11. Compare the cell wall of: Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, archaea, algae, fungi.
  12. What are the most common bacterial shapes?
  13. How can bacteria be arranged?  Distinguish between Diplo-, Staphylo-, and Strepto-.
  14. What are some bacterial cell structures not found in eukaryotes? What are their functions?
  15. Define the following: capsule, lipopolysaccharide, teichoic acid, plasmid, outer membrane, pilus, chromosome
  16. Define growth.  In what way is bacterial growth usually described?
  17. How do bacteria reproduce? How is this different from fungi and protozoa?
  18. Why do bacterial cells die?
  19. How does bacterial growth differ on solid media and in liquid media?
  20. Explain the 4 growth phases of a bacterial population.
  21. What is a colony?  What are some of the characteristics of a colony?
  22. Explain doubling time.  How can it be determined? What is another word for "doubling time"?
  23. How long will it take a population of 256 E. coli cells to reach 65,000 cells IF the generation time of E.coli under these conditions is 30 minutes?
  24. Give some examples of direct and indirect counting methods. Explain how a spectrophotometer can measure populations.
  25. List 7 environmental/physical factors that influence bacterial growth.
  26. How do nutrient concentrations affect microbial growth?
  27. Distinguish among: halophiles, acidophiles, alkalophiles, mesophiles, thermophiles, psychrophiles, neutrophiles, obligate aerobes, obligate anaerobes, facultative anaerobes, barophiles.
  28. What is meant by ‘osmotolerant’ and ‘barotolerant’?
  29. Give two examples of radiation that can damage bacteria. What is Deinococcus?