Microbiology Test Questions
Major concepts to review for Exam 1:
1.) know the elements of life – and how the reduction and oxidative of some of these drive bioenergetics
2.) Know the general time line for biology and evolution on the Earth; What major events altered evolution especially in terms of microbially driven changes
3.) Carl Woese – what did he contribute? What kind of biological molecules are best to generate phylogenetic trees, and why? How does this compare to enzymes?
4.) What defines a species (formal definitions)?
5.) What are open genomes? What are closed genomes? What is meant by the ‘core’ genome?
6.) Archaea are usually found in what kind of environments? How does this support Woese’s hypothesis for three domains of life? What does this likely say about early evolution on Earth?
7.) Archaea – no established pathogens? How does this support Woese’s hypothesis as well?
8.) Know and understand the terms: minimal medium; defined medium; undefined medium; rich medium; prototroph;
9.) What defines growth? Are changes in the number of cells in a test tube also defining growth? Why or why not?
10.) know the various methods for determining growth (common) and both the strengths and weaknesses to each method
11.) Understand the phases of growth, and also the physiological changes that are occurring during each phase, and especially between each phase of the typical batch growth curve
12.) Know the role of the stationary phase sigma factor, and understand how that ties to global regulation during transition to stationary phase
13.) Know the roles for Fis and H-NS in regulation of ribosomal synthesis; also note the physiological state of ribosomes (abundance) during log phase growth and what happens upon starvation for nutrients (ppGpp – stringent response)
14.) Understand the observation of diauxic growth in E. coli; What is the major mechanism to allow for this kind of regulation? What mediates this at the level of transcription?
15.) Know the basics of the cell
1.) know the elements of life – and how the reduction and oxidative of some of these drive bioenergetics
2.) Know the general time line for biology and evolution on the Earth; What major events altered evolution especially in terms of microbially driven changes
3.) Carl Woese – what did he contribute? What kind of biological molecules are best to generate phylogenetic trees, and why? How does this compare to enzymes?
4.) What defines a species (formal definitions)?
5.) What are open genomes? What are closed genomes? What is meant by the ‘core’ genome?
6.) Archaea are usually found in what kind of environments? How does this support Woese’s hypothesis for three domains of life? What does this likely say about early evolution on Earth?
7.) Archaea – no established pathogens? How does this support Woese’s hypothesis as well?
8.) Know and understand the terms: minimal medium; defined medium; undefined medium; rich medium; prototroph;
9.) What defines growth? Are changes in the number of cells in a test tube also defining growth? Why or why not?
10.) know the various methods for determining growth (common) and both the strengths and weaknesses to each method
11.) Understand the phases of growth, and also the physiological changes that are occurring during each phase, and especially between each phase of the typical batch growth curve
12.) Know the role of the stationary phase sigma factor, and understand how that ties to global regulation during transition to stationary phase
13.) Know the roles for Fis and H-NS in regulation of ribosomal synthesis; also note the physiological state of ribosomes (abundance) during log phase growth and what happens upon starvation for nutrients (ppGpp – stringent response)
14.) Understand the observation of diauxic growth in E. coli; What is the major mechanism to allow for this kind of regulation? What mediates this at the level of transcription?
15.) Know the basics of the cell