No Socrative poll today – sorry!

We’ll resume those on Friday…

There’s a handout for you on the stage –

come on up and grab one 
When two species have the same trait, it can be…
• homologous – inherited from a common ancestor
• analogous – evolved independently (e.g. due to convergent evolution)

synapomorphy – derived (new, not ancestral) homologous trait

parsimony = the simplest explanation (requires fewest evolutionary events)
monophyletic group (clade) = includes common ancestor and all its
descendants (passes the “one snip test”)
Today’s Learning Objectives
1. Explain how a phylogeny illustrates an evolutionary hypothesis, and
how time and evolutionary relationships are represented.
2. Define terms related to systematics and phylogenies, including
derived vs. ancestral traits, homologous vs. analogous traits
(homoplasy), synapomorphy, monophyletic, clade, outgroup and
parsimony.
3 domains
Characteristic Bacteria Archaea Eukarya

Membrane-
bound absent/few absent yes – many
organelles?
Multicellular? no* no many

Size small small 5-500x larger

DNA circular (usually) circular (usually) linear (usually)

Ribosomes 70S 70S 80S

Peptidoglycan yes no no
in cell wall
DNA replication
machinery different similar similar
Bacterial Diversity
• gram-positive bacteria have thicker peptidoglycan wall (stains purple)
• gram-negative bacteria have thinner peptidoglycan layer, covered by outer
membrane with lipopolysaccharides
• many antiobiotics interfere with peptidoglycan linking – less effective on gram-
negative bacteria (not effective against viruses or fungal infections)
Bacterial Diversity
• rigid cell wall produces
distinct shapes

• some have an outer capsule – can stick to surfaces and evade immune
responses

• many have flagella (movement) or pili (adhesion)

• metabolism varies (autotroph/heterotroph; energy from light or

chemicals)
Bacterial DNA transfer
no sexual reproduction, BUT genetic recombination can occur via…

• conjugation – horizontal gene transfer (two cells trade pieces of DNA)

• transduction – horizontal gene transfer via viruses
• transformation – acquiring DNA fragments from the environment

• plasmid – extrachromosomal DNA that can replicate independently

• can be transferred between cells
• can integrate into host chromosome
 Today’s Learning Objectives:
• Explain key differences between the three domains (Bacteria, Archaea,
Eukarya) using relevant terminology (prokaryote, eukaryote, membrane-
bound organelles, circular/linear chromosomes, ribosome structure,
peptidoglycan, cell size).
• Describe the cell wall structure of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria,
and the implications for antibiotic use.
• Describe variation in cell shape, outer covering (capsule), metabolism, and
structures for locomotion (flagella) and adhesion (pili).
• Briefly describe ways that bacteria can acquire new DNA without
reproducing sexually.