Introduction
The purpose of this lab was to determine the size of prokaryotic microbes in comparison to eukaryotic cells. Students used oil immersion microscopy to magnify the microbes and compare their size to that of a eukaryotic cheek cell. The results of this lab allowed students to compare and contrast eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell size, which is a necessary skill when working with microbiology based labs. Microbiology is the study of microscopic organisms, also known as microbes. Microorganisms include bacteria, fungi, protists, and autotrophic organisms. Viruses, although not an organism, are often included in the study of microbes. In this lab, three types of bacteria; bacillus, spirillum, and coccus; were observed and compared to eukaryotic cheek cells. This research question successfully related to students’ classroom lectures about the topic of microbiology. Comparing the size of prokaryotic microbes to eukaryotic cells gave students a better understanding of the classification of organisms, including the three domains as well as the six kingdoms, and the relative size and structural characteristics of each classification. Observing and illustrating the sizes and shapes of the microbes also provided students with a real life application of the shapes and arrangements of bacteria, which were discussed in class.
Many previous experiments have worked with microbes because although microbes are invisible to the naked eye, when they are magnified, they introduce a world of bacteria that influences much of life. Robert Hooke was the first person to discover cells in 1660. Just sixteen years later, in 1676, Leeuwenhoek became the first scientist to discover microorganisms. Leeuwenhoek observed and described microscopic bact...
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The first day an unknown sample was assigned to each group of students. The first test applied was a gram stain to test for gram positive or gram-negative bacteria. The morphology of the two types of bacteria was viewed under the microscope and recorded. Then the sample was put on agar plates using the quadrant streak method for isolation. There were three agar plates; one was incubated at room temperature, the second at 30 degrees Celsius, and the third at 37 degrees Celsius. By placing each plate at a different temperature optimal growth temperature can be predicted for both species of bacteria.
In this lab project, the microbiology students were given 2 unknown bacteria in a mixed broth each broth being numbered. The goal of this project is to determine the species of bacteria in the broth. They had to separate and isolate the bacteria from the mixed broth and ran numerous tests to identify the unknown bacteria. The significance of identifying an unknown bacteria is in a clinical setting. Determining the exact bacteria in order to prescribe the right treatment for the patient. This project is significant for a microbiology students because it gives necessary skills to them for future careers relating to clinical and research work.
Phenotypic methods of classifying microorganisms describe the diversity of bacterial species by naming and grouping organisms based on similarities. The differences between Bacteria, Archaea and Eukaryotes are basic. Bacteria can function and reproduce as single cells but often combine into multicellular colonies. Bacteria are also surrounded by a cell wall. Archaea differ from bacteria in their genetics and biochemistry. Their cell membranes are made with different material than bacteria. Just like bacteria, archaea are also single cell and are surrounded by a cell wall. Eukaryotes, unlike bacteria and archaea, contain a nucleus. And like bacteria and archaea, eukaryotes have a cell wall. The Gram stain is a system used to characterize bacteria based on the structural characteristics of their cell walls. A Gram-positive cell will stain purple if cell walls are thick and a Gram-negative cell wall appears pink. Most bacteria can be classified as belonging to one of four groups (Gram-positive cocci, Gram-positive bacilli, Gram-negative cocci, and Gram-negative bacilli) (Phenotypic analysis. (n.d.).
As for organisms in the world from humans to the smallest microbe, they directly reflect upon biodiversity, in respect to the appearance, size and expression. The reason behind this is caused by the genetic material found in each and every cell that composes each organism. Given that there are two types of cell organizations found in life, comparison of both ‘eukaryote’ and ‘prokaryote’ genomes will provide a better understanding for such diversity. ‘karyote’ refers to the nucleus, and also ‘pro’ means ‘absence’ and ‘eu’ means ‘presence’. Therefore the words prokaryote and eukaryote reflect upon the individual cell organization. In contrast, the both organizations show discrepancies as well as similarities which ultimately make them unique to one and other.
Linton, Alan. 1982. Microbes, Man and Animals: The Natural History of Microbial Interactions. John Wiley & Sons. 342pp
Microbiology is the study of microscopic organisms such as virus, Protista and bacteria. It’s important to know and to identify what kind of bacteria and how we can treat it since is found everywhere in society. Also to know what kind of bacteria it is by the performing different biochemical test and be able to differentiate the bacteria. This is use in the medial field where is important to know what kind of bacteria there dealing with and know how to treat it.
Both prokaryotes and protists have negative and positive impacts on humans. Prokaryotes and protists are both used in a variety of ways by humans today. They can affect humans in the way of disease, which can be deadly, but also help humans with environmental issues too. Also, both provide food sources for humans which are beneficial.
Another man that made discoveries that reinforced those of Pasteur was Robert Koch. Robert Koch isolated the germ that causes tuberculosis, identified the germ responsible for Asiatic cholera, and developed sanitary measures to prevent disease. (1) In the late 1880s, genes, white blood cells, and aspirin were discovered. An Augustinian monk from Austria, Johann Gregor Mendel, experimented in the crossplanting of pea plants.
Microorganism is a living thing that cannot be seen by naked eye and is so small in size. Microorganism usually can be seen through microscope because microscope have the ability to see small thing using various magnification. The examples of microorganism are bacteria, fungi, protozoa, algae and virus. Among all of the microorganisms, bacteria have the greatest advantages in preserving food and beverages. Bacteria are generally harmless but can produce enzymes that can alter the structure the food. In extreme cases, bacteria can secrete toxic substances that can cause the food to spoil.
Cells are the basic building blocks of all living things. The human body is made of millions and billions of these tiny little cells. These tiny little cells which doesn’t look like it can do much plays a big role in our bodies, It is what helps provide a good structure to our bodies, aids in converting nutrients from the food we eat into energy, and all have their own individual functions. There are many different types of cells such as human body cells, animal cells and plant cells, each with their own role. In this essay i will be assessing the components of an animal cell and will be evaluating each component in further detail to get a detailed understanding of it all. The animal cell contains the following components.
Bacterial cells, like plant cells, are surrounded by a cell wall. However, bacterial cell walls are made up of polysaccharide chains linked to amino acids, while plant cell walls are made up of cellulose, which contains no amino acids. Many bacteria secrete a slimy capsule around the outside of the cell wall. The capsule provides additional protection for the cell. Many of the bacteria that cause diseases in animals are surrounded by a capsule. The capsule prevents the white blood cells and antibodies from destroying the invading bacterium. Inside the capsule and the cell wall is the cell membrane. In aerobic bacteria, the reactions of cellular respiration take place on fingerlike infoldings of the cell membrane. Ribosomes are scattered throughout the cytoplasm, and the DNA is generally found in the center of the cell. Many bacilli and spirilla have flagella, which are used for locomotion in water. A few types of bacteria that lack flagella move by gliding on a surface. However, the mechanism of this gliding motion is unknown. Most bacteria are aerobic, they require free oxygen to carry on cellular respiration. Some bacteria, called facultatibe anaerobes can live in either the presence or absence of free oxygen. They obtain energy either by aerobic respiration when oxygen is present or by fermentation when oxygen is absent. Still other bacteria cannot live in the presence of oxygen. These are called obligate anaerobes. Such bacteria obtain energy only fermentation. Through fermentation, different groups of bacteria produce a wide variety of organic compounds. Besides ethyl alcohol and lactic acid, bacterial fermentation can produce acetic acid, acetone, butyl alcohol, glycol, butyric acid, propionic acid, and methane, the main component of natural gas. Most bacteria are heterotrophic bacteria are either saprophytes or parasites. Saprophytes feed on the remains of dead plants and animals, and ordinarily do not cause disease. They release digestive enzymes onto the organic matter. The enzymes breakdown the large food molecules into smaller molecules, which are absorbed by the bacterial cells. Parasites live on or in living organisms, and may cause disease. A few types of bacteria are Autotrophic, they can synthesize the organic nutrients they require from inorganic substances. Autotrophic bacteria are either photosynthetic or Chemosynthetic. The photosynthetic bacteria contain chlorophyll that are different from the plant chlorophyll. In bacterial photosynthesis, hydrogen is obtained by the splitting of compounds other than water.
In this world, there are very tiny creatures that millions of them can fit into the eye of a needle. It is known as microbes, which cannot be seen with naked eyes. They are believed to be the oldest form of life on earth as microbe fossils age more than 3.5 billion years back when the boiled ocean covered the earth and it was before the dinosaurs roaming the planet. [5] We couldn’t breathe or eat without microbes but they would probably be just fine without us. Microbes can be found everywhere. There are more of them in a person’s mouth than the number of people in the entire planet. There are abundant of them in the air we breathe, in the food we eat, on the ground we walk on, and they are even growing inside us! Food could not be digested,
Another difference between the two cells is that, in prokaryotic cells there is cytoplasmic movement; however there is no cytoplasmic movement in eukaryotic cells.
In 1838 Theodor Schwann and Matthias Schleiden were talking about their studies on cells. It has been suggested that when Schwann heard Schleiden describe plant cells with nuclei, he was stuck by the similarity of these plant cells to cells he had observed in animal tissues. The two published his book on animal and plant cells the next year. Schwann summarized his observations into three conclusions about cells.
Microbes are major key components in both are homes and industrial food preparation. There are number of lactic acid which is a form of bacteria which is a large group of beneficial bacteria used in certain foods while they are getting prepared such as yogurt, cheese, sour cream, butter milk and other type of fermented milk products. Things such as vinegars are produced by bacterial acetic acid fermentation. Yeast is also major use in the making of beer and wine and also for the leaving of breads. This also involves fermentations to convert corn and other vegetable carbohydrates to also make beer, wine or gasohol but also bacteria is the agents of are other foods. Other fermented foods will include things such as soy sauce, olives and cocoa. (Microbes and human life, 2013) Single cell proteins are known as dried cells of microbes which are used in protein supplement shacks. They are also called “novel food” and “minifood”. The production of this requires micro-organisms which then serve as the protein source and then the substrate which is biomass which they grow on them. There are a number of both these sources that we are able to use for the production of single cell protein (SCP). The micro-organisms used belong to the following groups of Algae, Fungi and bacteria. (Slide Share, 2012)