Diversity of Organisms and Classification Lecture Notes PDF

# Diversity of Organisms and classification ## Classification of Organisms - Kingdom - Phylum / Division - Class - Order - Family - Genus - Species ## Species - The smallest group of organisms classified which can interbreed with each other to produce fertile offspring ## Five Kingdom System -...

# Diversity of Organisms and classification ## Classification of Organisms - Kingdom - Phylum / Division - Class - Order - Family - Genus - Species ## Species - The smallest group of organisms classified which can interbreed with each other to produce fertile offspring ## Five Kingdom System - Bacteria - Protists - plants - Fungi - Animals ## Microorganisms: 3 Major Types - Bacteria - Protists - Fungi | | | |---|---| | **Autotroph** | **Heterotroph** | | Gets carbon from atmosphere | Gets carbon from organic materials | - More plant-like (producer) - More animal-like (consumer) - Anything too small to see without magnification - The suffix _troph_ means food ## Microorganisms can range in size from very small - such as these bacteria on the point of a pin - to exceptionally large. Some bacterial cells can be the size of a fly's head ## Microorganism Environment - Microorganisms inhabit diverse habitats ranging from very salty environments to deep sea vents at the bottom of the ocean to very hot environments ## Microorganism Movement - Some microorganisms don't move around much. - Other microorganisms are quite active. - Flagella - Cilia - Pseudopodia - Cyanobacteria - Plant-like: stationary, uses sunlight and $CO_2$ for energy and food (photosynthesis), photoautotroph - Bacterial flagella ## Paramecium - Some have small hair around their outer surface that beat back and forth to provide movement ## Amoeba - Animal-like: Pseudopodia for movement and feeding which are extensions of the microorganism's membrane ## Bacteria Kingdom - Unicellular, microscopic - No nucleus - Prokaryotic - No chlorophyll - Saprophytic or parasitic - Bacteria can be both helpful and harmful - Bacteria engage in chemical warfare with each other (Streptomycin) - The statement can be made that bacteria engage in chemical warfare with each other, and we as humans indirectly benefit from this fact. - Bacteria compete for food (usually whatever they are growing on), and in order to keep other bacteria off their food supply, some bacteria release antibacterial toxins around them. - This damages or kills the other bacteria, and allows the toxin producing bacteria to maintain control over it's food. - We as humans have learned to take advantage of these chemicals to treat bacterial infections. Streptomycin is an example of such an antibiotic. ## Carbon Cycle - Many types of bacteria can break that waste down further in a process called biodegradation. This makes any carbon or nutrients in the waste available again to plants for growth and functioning. ## Harmful Bacteria; (Tuberculosis) - Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection in the lungs. ## _25% of world population dies_ - One of the most dangerous diseases caused by bacteria is the bubonic plague ## Cholera (Vibrio cholerae) - The Cholera bacteria is found in contaminated water, is widespread, and results in diarrhea and dehydration ## Anthrax - Anthrax is particularly dangerous because it can form endospores that are resilient to drying and lack of nutrients. This means that anthrax can be distributed in a powder form. ## Protist Kingdom - Both single-celled and multi-celled organisms; microscopic - Nucleus present in most of them - Eukaryotic - Autotrophic or heterotrophic - Some protists are helpful to other living things, while other protists are disease causing - A dinoflagellate - Dinoflagellates are very important protisits that are at the bottom of many food chains. Larger organisms eat them, and are in turn eaten by even larger organisms, such as humans! ## Diatoms - These are examples of diatoms, important members at the bottom of the food chain ## Malaria - Perhaps the most famous harmful protist is _plasmodium_, which is responsible for _malaria_. _Plasmodium_ has two different hosts. A mosquito becomes infected with _plasmodium_ when it feeds on an infected human host. ## Giardia lamblia - One harmful protist that is extremely common is _giardia_. It causes diarrhea and dehydration. It can be found in many freshwater streams and lakes. ## Fungus Kingdom - Neither plant nor animal, have characteristics of both - Eukaryotic - Made up of hyphae - No root, stem and leaf - No chlorophyll, Consume food by absorbing nutrients from whatever they are growing on, Saprophytic or parasitic - Reproduce by forming spores - Penicillium mold - Hyphae - Spores - Penicillin is a toxin that is produced by _penicillium fungus_ for the purpose of protecting its food source. This picture shows how the toxin produced by this fungal colony is preventing nearby bacteria from growing too close ## Budding Yeast - Yeast is an example of a single celled fungi that plays an important role in the production of a variety of human foods. Yeast helps bread rise and flavors cheese. ## The common mold Rhizopus decomposing oranges - Other fungi, such as this Rhizopus mold, are harmful because they attack our crops. We loose 10-50% of our crops every year due to such fungi. Molds can be harmful when they attack crops. - Athletes foot ## Animal Kingdom - Eukaryotic - Divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of backbone: - Invertebrates : without backbone - Vertebrates : with backbone ## Mammals - Warm-blooded - Hairs on skin - Females have mammary glands for producing milk - Lungs for breathing - Diaphragm present - Internal fertilization; embryos develop inside mothers' bodies