Name:____________________________________________________________ Date:__________________________ Bacteria Webquest – Learn Your Germs INTRODUCTION: Think Bacteria and Viruses are the same? Website #1: http://www.diffen.com/difference/Bacteria_vs_Virus Complete the following table comparing viruses and bacteria: Characteristic Bacteria Virus Nucleus? How do they reproduce? Can it cause disease? What is its structure? Living or non-living? Size? Beneficial? Can it be treated? Website 2: http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/cells/index.html (Use the Relative Size and Detection Chart at the top of the page!) 1. Can bacteria or viruses be seen with the naked eye? 2. Can bacteria be viewed with a light microscope? 3. Which kind of microscope is needed to view virus? Why? Bacteria Basics Website 3: http://microbiologyonline.org/about-microbiology/introducing-microbes/bacteria 4. Bacteria Shapes: sketch and describe these bacteria shapes a. Cocci b. Bacilli c. Spirilla 5. Describe how bacteria reproduce. Archae (aka Archaebacteria) When these microscopic organisms were first discovered (in 1977), they were considered bacteria. However, when their ribosomal RNA was sequenced, it became obvious that they bore no close relationship to the bacteria and were, in fact, more closely related to the eukaryotes (including ourselves!) For a time they were referred to as archaebacteria, but now to emphasize their distinctness, we call them Archaea. They have also been called Extremophiles in recognition of the extreme environments in which they have been found Website 4: http://www.biology-pages.info/A/Archaea.html 6. When did scientists realize that archae are different from bacteria? 7. Which of the two kingdoms of bacteria are more similar to humans? 8. Types of Archae: read this section and complete the chart below. Place check marks in the appropriate boxes. Methanogens Halophile Thermoacidophile Prefers high salt conditions Prefers high temperatures Prefers acidic environments lives in swamps, marshes, cattle rumen and OUR intestines lives in the Great Salt Lake and The Dead Sea live in the hot springs of Yellowstone National Park and in the undersea vents Bacteria Structure Website 5: http://www.cellsalive.com/cells/bactcell.htm Label the parts of the bacterium: flagella, pilli, nucleoid(DNA), ribosomes, cell membrane, cell wall, capsule Genetic Recombination Genetic: Website 6: http://glencoe.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/9834092339/student_view0/chapter28/bacterial_conjugation_-_transfer_of_a_plasmid.html Play the video and listen (with headphones). 9. During conjugation, what is transferred from one bacteria to the next? 10. What is the role of the pilus in this process? 11. What is the purpose of conjugation? Website 7: http://academic.pgcc.edu/~kroberts/Lecture/Chapter%207/horizontal.html Scroll down to the TRANSDUCTION section. 12. How is transduction different from conjugation? (I.e. what is involved with the genetic exchange?) 13. Using the Table 7.6 at the top of the page, what is the source of the DNA (Requirements) in the process of transduction? Bacteria Metabolism: Website 8: http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/bacteria/bacterialh.html 14. What are pathogenic bacteria? 15. What do aerobic bacteria require? 16. Where do anaerobic bacteria live and what can they cause? 17. How do facultative anaerobic bacteria differ from the other two? 18. What is decomposition and how do bacteria play a role in the environment? 19. What is nitrogen fixation and why are bacteria crucial to this cycle of life? Website 9: http://www.micro.cornell.edu/cals/micro/research/labs/angert-lab/bacterialendo.cfm 20. Why do certain bacteria become endospores? 21. What kinds of conditions can they survive?
