Turning points 1: Bacteria &

Archaea

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Traits of bacteria, archaea, and eukarya
Trait Bacteria Archaea Eukarya
Nuclear envelope No No Yes
Unicellular/multicellular Almost all unicellular Unicellular Many multicellular
Histone proteins No Yes Yes
Chromosome shape Circular Circular Linear
Chromosome number 1 (up to 4) 1 2 to 1286
Membrane-bound organelles In a few species No Yes, extensive in number and
present diversity
Cell wall material Peptidoglycan Varies (not When present usually cellulose
peptidoglycan) or chitin
Lipid structure in plasma Straight fatty acids Branched fatty acids Straight fatty acids
membrane
Sexual reproduction No No Yes (common)
Protein synthesis One simple RNA One complex RNA Multiple complex RNA
polymerase polymerase polymerases

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Discussion
You have discovered a new kind of prokaryotic organism.
What characters could you look at to determine whether it is a bacterium or an archaeon?

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Protein synthesis

Protein synthesis:

Bacteria/archaea—occurs in same place at same time

Eukarya—separated in space and time

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Extremophiles

Geothermal feature in Yellowstone National Park

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Abundance/location of biomass on
Earth

Bar-On et al. 2018. The biomass distribution on Earth. PNAS

115:6506-6511.
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The human microbiome
The human body is composed of ~37
trillion cells
It is host to an estimated 100 trillion
(mostly) bacterial cells
Human Microbiome Project
Estimated 10,000 microbial species
make up human ecosystem
Each person is host to more than 500
species of microbes

Grice & Segre. 2011. The skin microbiome. Nature Reviews

Microbiology 9:244-253.

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Discussion
Our mouths are home to between 200 and 300 different species of bacteria. Most of
these species are not associated with cavities. Only one species, Streptococcus mutans, is
the main cause of tooth decay.
Most of us, I am sure, regularly brush our teeth with toothpaste; some of us may even
floss. Brushing and flossing removes sugars and starches from teeth and gums, thereby
reducing the food supply for bacteria.
Fluoride strengthens tooth enamel, making it more resistant to decay. You can also buy
antibacterial toothpaste.
Do you think this would be a good product to use?
What would be some advantages and disadvantages?

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Morphological diversity

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Prokaryotic phylogenies

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Metagenomics
A. Sampling from habitat

B. Filtering particles

C. DNA extraction

D. Cloning and library

E. Clone sequencing

F. Sequence assembly

Wooley et al. 2010. A primer on metagenomics. PLoS

Computational Biology 6:e1000667.

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Six methods for obtaining energy and
carbon compounds used by prokaryotes

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Discussion
Let’s say you’re working in a lab, and it’s your job to culture various types of bacteria.
What energy source(s) could you use to successfully grow chemoorganotrophic bacteria?
What energy source(s) could you use to successfully grow chemolithotrophic bacteria?

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Potential energy and redox reactions
OIL RIG: oxidation is electron loss, reduction is electron gain

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Cellular respiration oxidizes glucose to
make ATP

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Cellualar respiration is based on ETCs

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Some electron donors and acceptors
used by prokaryotes

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Comparative energy released in cellular
respiration

More potential energy in glucose can be released when oxygen is the final electron
acceptor compared to other molecules
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Prokaryotic “sex” is one-way and
involves only a few genes

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Genetic chimeras
…The invincible Chimera;
a thing of divine origin, not of men,
a lion in front, its hind parts a serpent, and its
middle a goat,
breathing forth a fearsome raging blaze of fire.
Homer, The Iliad, Book 6:179-182.
Translated by Caroline Alexander

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Tree of life? …or web?

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Global nitrogen cycle
Movement of nitrogen atoms through global ecosystems
All organisms require nitrogen to synthesize proteins and nucleic acids
Molecular nitrogen (N2 ) is abundant in the atmosphere, which is about 78% N2
Most organisms can not use nitrogen in this form
−
Instead, they must obtain nitrogen from ammonia (NH3 ) or nitrate (NO3 )
Certain species of bacteria and archaea can fix nitrogen
That is, they can convert atmospheric N2 to a bioavailable form, such as NH3
Some of these species, such as Rhizobium, live symbiotically with particular groups
of plants, such as legumes

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Global nitrogen cycle

Bacteria and archaea drive the movement of nitrogen atoms through ecosystems
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Too much of a good thing
Haber-Bosch process

Industrial process that converts N2 to

NH3 ; used as fertilizer
Very energy intensive
Humans have roughly doubled the
amount of terrestrial N-fixation
Much ends up as agricultural runoff,
which is a widespread source of pollution

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