Chapter 9 Section 2: Bacteria

Bacillus

Rod-like

Coccus

Round

Spirillum

Spiral/S-shaped

Stepto-

Twisted chain

Diplo-

Two

Under what conditions do bacteria thrive and reproduce?

When bacteria have enough food, the right temperature, and other suitable conditions, they thrive and reproduce frequently.

endospore

An endospore is a small, rounded, thick-walled resting cell that forms inside a bacterial cell.

asexual reproduction

Asexual reproduction is a reproductive process that involves only one parent and produces offsprings that are identical to the parent.

How do the cells of bacteria differ from those of eukaryotes?

Bacteria are prokaryotes. The genetic material in their cells is not contained in a nucleus.

bacteria

Bacteria are single-celled organisms

What do bacteria need to survive?

Bacteria must have a source of food and a way of breaking down the food to release its energy.

binary fission

Bacteria reproduce by a process called binary fission, in which one cell divides to form two identical cells.

Staphylo-

Clustered

Vibrio

Comma-shaped

decomposers

Decomposers are organisms that break down large chemicals in dead organisms into small chemicals.

conjugation

During a process call conjugation, one bacterium transfers some genetic material to another bacterium through a threadlike bridge.

pasteurization

During pasteurization, the food is heated to a temperature that is high enough to kill most harmful bacteria without changing the taste of the food.

sexual reproduction

In sexual reproduction, two parents combine their genetic material to produce a new organism, which differs from both parents.