1. ACOS 1
Describe characteristics common to living things, including growth and development, reproduction, cellular organization, use of energy, exchange of gases, and response to the environment.
Identifying homeostasis as the process by which an organism responds to its internal or external environment
Predicting how an organism’s behavior impacts the environment
Identifying unicellular organisms, including bacteria and protists, by their methods of locomotion, reproduction, ingestion, excretion, and effects on other organisms
Identifying the structure of a virus

2. Bacteria are almost everywhere, in the air, in foods you eat and drink, and on the surfaces of things you touch.
Some types of bacteria live in extreme environments where few other organisms can survive like extreme cold or extreme salinity levels.

3. Bacteria normally have three basic shapes:
Spheres
Rods
Spirals

4. Cocci - Sphere-shaped bacteria
Bacilli - Rod-shaped bacteria
Spirilla - Spiral-shaped bacteria

5. Bacterial cells are classified as prokaryotic and typically contain cytoplasm surrounded by a cell membrane and a cell wall.

6. Most of the genetic material of a bacterial cell is in its one circular chromosome found in the cytoplasm.
A plasmid is a smaller circular piece of DNA many bacteria also have.

7. A capsule is a thick, gelatin-like membrane around the cell wall to help protect the bacterium from other cells.

8. A slime layer is a layer some bacteria have that enables it to stick to surfaces and reduce water loss.

9. Flagella are whip-like tails many bacteria have that live in moist conditions which allows it to swim.

10. Bacteria usually reproduce by fission which is a process similar to sexual reproduction where genetic material is exchanged and a new bacterium is produced.
As a result of fission, the bacteria may acquire variations that give them an advantage for survival.

11. Bacteria that contain chlorophyll or other pigments make their own food using energy from the Sun.
Bacteria without chlorophyll use energy from chemical reactions to make food.
Some bacteria breakdown dead organisms to obtain energy.

12. Bacteria are classified into two kingdoms:
Eubacteria
Archaebacteria.

13. Most eubacteria are grouped according to their cell shape and structure, the way they obtain food, the type of food they consume, and the wastes they produce.

14. Kingdom Archaebacteria contains bacteria that are found in extreme conditions, such as hot, cold, and extreme salinity levels.

15. Archaebacteria are divided into groups based on where they live or how they get energy.
One group of archaebacteria lives in salty environments such as the Great Salt Lake in Utah and the Dead Sea.

16. The benefits of most bacteria far outweigh the harmful effects of a few.
Bacteria are found inside your digestive system and help you digest certain foods.

17. One of the first uses of bacteria was for making yogurt, a milk-based food that has been made in Europe and Asia for hundreds of years.