Me 2 2
Me 2 2
Me 2 2
Origins
of life Microbial life Higher life forms
Possible life
Oxygen Multicellular
and cooling
Accretion
His three-domain system, based upon genetic relationships rather than obvious
morphological similarities, divided life into 23 main divisions, all incorporated
within three domains: Bacteria, Archaea, and Eucarya.
Archaea are neither Bacteria nor Eukaryotes. Looked at another way, they are
Prokaryotes that are not Bacteria.
The tree of life elucidated by Woese is noteworthy for its demonstration of the
overwhelming diversity of microbial lineages; single-celled organisms represent
the vast majority of the biosphere's genetic, metabolic, and ecosystem niche
diversity. This is surprising to some, given our familiarity with the
macrobiological world.
As microbes are responsible for many biogeochemical cycles and are crucial
to the continued function of the biosphere, Woese's efforts to clarify the
evolution and diversity of microbes provided an invaluable service to ecologists
and conservationists.
Taxonomy
Domain
Kingdom
Phylum or DivisionKingdom
Class
Order
Family
Genus
species
Example
• Domain Bacteria
• Phylum Proteobacteria
• Order Enterobacteriales
• Family Enterobacteriaceae
• Genus Escherichia
• Species E. coli
The three domain system
Eukaryote vs. prokaryotic cell
Prokaryotes / Prokaryotic Eukaryotes / Eukaryotic
• First organisms, simple structure • More evolved, complex cells
• Generally smaller than eukaryotic • Generally larger than prokaryotic
• Has one circular chromosome which • Has two or more chromosomes
floats in cytoplasm • Has some membrane bound
• Has no membrane bound organelles organelles
• Can have slime layer / pili / capsule • Has mitochondria
• Bacteria and some protists • Some protists, most fungi, most
plants, and all animals
Eukaryote vs. prokaryotic cell
• It is estimated that there are more than 50 bacteria phyla based on the
analysis of the conserved 16s rRNA sequence.
• Half of these phyla have no cultured representatives. Thus, we know
relatively little about a large proportion of environmental bacteria and the
discussion that follows pertains to cells that have been successfully
cultured.
• They are generally characterized by high rates of replication, high surface
area to volume ratio.
• They have single large circular chromosome located in the cytoplasm and
there is no compartmentalization of the cell.
• The relative simplicity of the bacteria cell allows it to rapidly respond and
adapt to changing environmental conditions.
The morphological characteristic of bacteria:
Size varies depending upon the species, but most are approximately
0.5-1.0 micrometer in diameter.
Bacteria those need oxygen for their survival are called Aerobic
bacteria
a) The thick cell wall of gram-positive bacteria, such as Bacillus and Clostridium,
helps them withstand the harsh physical conditions found in the soil.
• The acquisition of the new DNA generally occurs via lateral gene
transfer or horizontal gene transfer by one of three mechanisms:
1. Conjugation: Bacterial cells exchange DNA by
conjugation using a pilus
• Classification of bacteria
– Oxygen Tolerance
– Biochemical reactions
• Acids, Ammonia, Gases
• Fermentation Products
– Food Products
• Yogurt, Sour Cream, Bread, Alcohol
– Commercial Products
• Citric Acid, Plastics
• Environmental Cleanup
Metabolism = Anabolism + Catabolism
Breakdown (Catabolism)
Proteins to Amino Acids, Starch to Glucose
Synthesis (Anabolism)
Amino Acids to Proteins, Glucose to Starch
The four major types of metabolism based on the source of
energy and carbon used for growth:
aerobic chemoheterotrophic
Under aerobic condition, the TEA is oxygen (38 ATP per glucose
metabolism)
Most bacteria,
Chemohetero- Chemical bonds Organic fungi, protozoa,
Compounds animals
Nutritional types
Metabolic Classification of Bacteria
• Photosynthesis
– 6H2O + 6CO2 + light è C6H12 O6 + 6O2
• Nitrification
– NH4 è NO2 to NO3
• Ammonia to Nitrite to Nitrate
• Ammonification
– N2 è NH4
The Archaea
Four groups based on habitat:
1. Euryarchaeota
2. Crenachaeota
3. Korarchaeota
4. Nanoarchaeota
• Many Archaea are extremophiles
2. Crenarchaeota
• Live at temperature extreme (>100 oC -< -10oC)
• Branches at the bottom of the Archaea tree - Unique 16S rRNA with
many modifications
• The smallest self replicating organism that has likely diversified early
to establish a parasitic life style
List of Bacteria should be known for environmental engineers:
Acinetobacter: (-) Phosphorus removal from wastewater
Azotobacter: (-) Nitrogen fixation
Bdellovibrio: (-) attack pathogenic bacteria
Desulfovibrio: (-) sulfate reduction in wastewater
Enterobacter aerogenes: (-) indicator organism
Escherichia coli: (-) indicator organism
Methanobacterium, Methanosarcina : (-/+) methane production
Mycoplasma: Pathogenic no cell wall
Nitrobacter, Nitrosomonas : (-) Ammonium oxidation
Pseudomonas: (-) Nitrate removal from wastewater
Rhizobium: (-) Nitrogen fixation
Streptococcus: (+) lactic acid production
Thiobacillus: (-) sulfur oxidizer
Zoogloea: (-) wastewater treatment