BIOLS380

CH5: The microbial world

Done by: Yousif Adel
 5.1: Marine viruses
Non-cellular infectious agents:
-Not capable of reproduction without a host cell
-Structure:
 Nucleic acid core (DNA or RNA)
 Capsid (protein coat), consists of numerous protein subunits
organized into rod-like or many-sided shapes

Notable types of viruses:

1. Retroviruses: store genetic information as nucleic acid (RNA)
2. Lysogenic viruses: reproduce by inserting their DNA into the DNA
of the host cell
3. Bacteriophages: viruses that infect bacteria (very diverse group)

-Common in the marine environment

-Can infect marine bacteria, plankton, seaweeds, plants and animals
-Lysis (bursting) of cells infected with viruses spills contents and
releases large amounts of organic matter that can be utilized by other
organisms (dissolved organic matter or DOM)
-Responsible for diseases affecting marine life

5.2: Prokaryotes
-Archaea and bacteria characteristics:
-Prokaryotic (no nucleus)
 Single chromosome (normally circular)
 Most with cell wall
 Great metabolic diversity
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 Archaea:
-Ancient organisms (fossils found that date back 3.8 billion years)
-Variety of metabolic types
-Widely distributed at sea
-Can tolerate wide ranges in temperature, salinity and even desiccation
-Can be found in many areas including near hydrothermal vents and salt
flats (two very extreme environments)

Marine bacteria:
-A variety of shapes including spirals, spheres, rods and rings
-Cell wall structure is semi-rigid, but permeable; most with cell wall
-Size is normally microscopic, but few are large
-Wide variety of metabolic types
-Very abundant worldwide
-Break down dead organic matter forming detritus (minute particles of
organic matter that are available as nutrition for other organisms)
-Cyanobacteria: photosynthetic bacteria most important in the marine
environment
-Stromatolites: massive calcareous mounds formed by cyanobacteria

Metabolic diversity of archaea and bacteria:

-Photosynthesis: derive energy from light
-Chemosynthetic: derive energy from chemical compounds
-Heterotrophs: derive energy from organic matter by respiration

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-Table 5.1 (refer the book)
-Examples of metabolic reactions in marine prokaryotes:
Photosynthetic / Chemosynthetic / Aerobic respiration / N fixation
Anaerobic respiration / Anaerobic ammonium oxidation /
Light-mediated ATP synthesis

5.3: Unicellular algae

-Diatoms -Dinoflagellates

Marine diatoms
-Photosynthetic
-Yellow-brown in color
-Photosynthetic pigments, chlorophyll A & C and carotenoids
-Frustule: shell of silica
-Most important primary producer on earth
-Mostly solitary and unicellular, some can form colonies

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-Around half of the 12,000 known species are marine and most are
planktonic
-They store excess energy as an oil that also aids in buoyancy
-Tiny pores in their shells are used for gas/nutrient exchange
-Some produce a toxin (domoic acid) that can accumulate in the tissues
or organisms that eat diatoms such as shellfish and small fishes
-Larger organisms that eat these shellfish or fishes can become ill or die
from the accumulated toxin
 Why diatoms get smaller each time they reproduce?
 Because they mainly reproduce by cellular division (asexual
reproduction); in this type of reproduction, the cell divides and
each resulting cell gets one-half of the frustule. So this cell now
must secrete the other half of the frustule (smaller piece)
 For diatoms to restore their normal size, they must either:
1. Reproduce sexually
2. Cast off the frustule and secrete an entire new frustule

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 Marine dinoflagellates
-Most species are marine
-Mostly photosynthetic, some can ingest particles
-Each species has a particular shape, reinforced by plates of cellulose
-Two flagella in grooves for motion
-Some are bioluminescent
-Zooxanthellae are important dinoflagellates that live in a symbiotic
relationship with reef corals, some sea anemones and other organisms;
many of these host organisms have little or no growth without
zooxanthellae
-A few species lack chloroplasts and live as parasites in other marine
organisms
-Some species can reproduce in larger numbers and produce red tides
-Pfiesteria is a dinoflagellate that produces very serious toxins that can
cause massive fish kills, harm shellfish and impair the nervous system in
humans

Algal blooms
-Blooms: when diatoms and dinoflagellates can go through periods of
rapid growth
-This is a result of high levels of nutrients in the water. These blooms
can be harmful to marine organisms and even humans at times

Other marine protists

Other groups of marine photosynthetic plankton:
1. Silicoflagellates:
Star-shaped internal skeleton of silica, with 2 flagella of varying lengths
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2. Coccolithophorids:
Ornate shells of calcium carbonate plates
3. Cryptophytes:
2 flagella and lack a skeleton

5.4: Marine protozoans (the animal-like protist)

Foraminiferans (forams):
-Exclusively marine, non-photosynthetic (heterotrophs; thus animal-like)
-Shells of calcium carbonate
-Can be important contributors of calcareous material on coral reefs or
sandy beaches
-Pseudopods (false feet) extend through pores in the shell where they are
used to capture small food particles such as phytoplankton

Radiolarians:
-Planktonic, mostly microscopic
-Shell of silica
-Like forams, they use pseudopods that extend through pores in the shell
and are used to capture small food particles such as phytoplankton

Ciliates:
-Hair-like cilia for locomotion
-Most live as solitary cells
-Some build shells made of organic debris
-May live on hard substrates but some are planktonic

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 Marine fungi
-Eukaryotic and mostly multicellular
-Heterotrophic
-Most of the at least 1,500 species of marine fungi are microscopic
-Like bacteria, many fungi break down dead organic matter into detritus
-Some fungi live in symbiosis with cyanobacteria to form lichens
-Marine lichens often live-in wave-splashed areas of rocky shores and
other hard substrates

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Most important characteristics of marine microbs