Archaebacteria & Eubacteria

General Bacterial Characteristics Oldest living organisms on Earth Prokaryotic & microscopic Reproduces asexually through binary fission Can live almost anywhere

Archaebacteria Characteristics: Live in harsh environments. Classified into 3 main groups: heat lovers, salt lovers, & methane makers Mostly all anaerobic – can live without oxygen Not all Archaebacteria have cell walls Entirely non-pathogenic ~ do not cause disease

Eubacteria Characteristics: Prokaryotic & microscopic 5 Prokaryotic & microscopic Most have a rigid cell wall made of proteins Aerobic (= require oxygen) & anaerobic (= does not require oxygen) Some are pathogenic – cause disease Live almost everywhere (except in extreme conditions like Archae) – including IN & ON other organisms Some can survive harsh times through an endospore

More Eubacteria Characteristics: Usually in the form of one of the following: coccus (=spherical shaped), bacillus (= rod shaped), or spirillus (=spiral shaped) These shapes can form groupings, strands, or chains

Method of Nutrition Most are heterotrophic – by consuming or decomposing other organisms Some are autotrophic and produce their own food because they are photosynthetic Ex: Cyanobacteria – believed to be the organism responsible for creating the first oxygen in our atmosphere

Method of Reproduction Asexual – binary fission

The Good & The Bad of Bacteria produce oxygen start some food chains nitrogen fixing for plants major decomposers used to make foods used to make medicines normal flora used for bioremediation used in genetic engineering pathogenic – can cause disease in all other organisms Streptococcus pneumonia *normal flora – the normal/necessary microorganisms that live IN or ON another organism Streptococcus mutans

Bioremediation & Genetic Engineering Bioremediation – a process that uses micro-organisms (i.e. bacteria) to change hazardous materials from industry, farms, and cities into harmless ones. In other words, they are used to clean up our messes. Genetic Engineering - technologies that use micro-organisms to change the genetic makeup of other cells by moving genes across species. These new organisms are then used in things like insecticides, cleaners, and adhesives.

Bioremediation Deep Horizon Oil Spill of 2010 Lasted three months Biggest marine oil spill in Earth’s history – over 780 million liters of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico

Genetic Engineering Quick Clip