BIOL1020 / BIOL1021 – Winter 2020 – Lecture 13 – BACTERIA AND ARCHAEA

BIOL 1020 - Biology 2: Diversity of Life/Principles of Ecology

BIOL 1021 – Introduction to Organismal Biology and Ecology

LECTURE 13

BACTERIA and ARCHAEA

• How are Prokaryotes Classified?

• What is the Evolutionary History
of Prokaryotes?
• Why are Prokaryotes Important
to Study?

© 2020 by M. Olaveson 1
 BIOL1020 / BIOL1021 – Winter 2020 – Lecture 13 – BACTERIA AND ARCHAEA

How are Prokaryotes Classified?

Prokaryotes – DOMAIN: Bacteria - Classification

• 6 most important
groups:

1. Proteobacteria
2. Green bacteria
3. Cyanobacteria
4. Gram-positive
bacteria
5. Spirochetes
6. Chlamydias Figure 21.15 in
Russell et al. (2010)

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 BIOL1020 / BIOL1021 – Winter 2020 – Lecture 13 – BACTERIA AND ARCHAEA

How are Prokaryotes Classified?

Prokaryotes – DOMAIN: Bacteria - Classification

• Molecular
studies reveal
numerous
evolutionary
branches
• Difficult to define
‘species’ when
considering prokaryotes
Figure 24.15 from Morris et al. (2019)

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 BIOL1020 / BIOL1021 – Winter 2020 – Lecture 13 – BACTERIA AND ARCHAEA

How are Prokaryotes Classified?

1. Proteobacteria:

• gram-negative bacteria
- purple sulfur bacteria
- colour due to unique type of chlorophyll
- photoautotrophic or photoheterotrophic

• free-living gram-negative
proteobacteria
- chemoheterotrophs
- intestinal bacteria – Escherchia coli (E. coli)
- some cause human diseases (e.g. bubonic
plague, gonorrhea, gastroenteritis, dysentery)
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 BIOL1020 / BIOL1021 – Winter 2020 – Lecture 13 – BACTERIA AND ARCHAEA

How are Prokaryotes Classified?

2. Green Bacteria

• gram-negative photosynthetic bacteria

- found in hot springs (photoautotrophic)
- marine and high-salt environments (photoheterotrophic)
- distinctive chlorophyll compared to plants
- do not release oxygen as by-product of photosynthesis

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 BIOL1020 / BIOL1021 – Winter 2020 – Lecture 13 – BACTERIA AND ARCHAEA

How are Prokaryotes Classified?

3. Cyanobacteria (= bluegreen algae)

- gram-negative aerobic photosynthetic prokaryotes
- responsible for oxygen-based life on earth (e.g. algae/plants)
- most morphologically diverse group of bacteria
- some species may form colonies
- some species have specialized cell
types (e.g. heterocysts for nitrogen
fixation)

© M. Olaveson (1996)

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 BIOL1020 / BIOL1021 – Winter 2020 – Lecture 13 – BACTERIA AND ARCHAEA

How are Prokaryotes Classified?

4. Gram-Positive Bacteria
- primarily chemoheterotrophs
- many pathogenic species
- Bacillus anthracis - causes anthrax
- Staphylococcus - causes food
poisoning, toxic shock syndrome,
pneumonia, bacterial meningitis
- Streptococcus - causes strep throat,
pneumonia, necrotizing fasciitis

Figure 21.18 in Russell et al. (2010)

- some beneficial species

- Lactobacillus spp. - uses lactic acid fermentation to produce pickles,
sauerkraut, yogurt

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How are Prokaryotes Classified?

5. Spirochetes (gram-negative bacteria)

- propelled by rotation of helically spiralled

flagella
- enables movement in thick mud / sewage
- beneficial or harmless species
- found in human mouth
- in termite intestines that digest cellulose
- pathogenic species (e.g. syphilis)

Figure 21.19 in Russell et al. (2010)

6. Chlamydias (gram-negative bacteria)

- cell walls with membrane outside
- lack peptidoglycans
- intercellular parasites that cause diseases in animals

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 BIOL1020 / BIOL1021 – Winter 2020 – Lecture 13 – BACTERIA AND ARCHAEA

How are Prokaryotes Classified?

Interesting Examples
• Deinococcus radiodurans
- tolerant to radiation
- can break down radioactive waste

• Thermus aquaticus
- tolerant to high temperature

- enzyme DNA polymerase is

very heat-stable
- used in PCR (polymerase chain
reaction) techniques to create
copies of DNA sequences for
genetic engineering techniques
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 BIOL1020 / BIOL1021 – Winter 2020 – Lecture 13 – BACTERIA AND ARCHAEA

How are Prokaryotes Classified?

Prokaryotes – DOMAIN: Archaea - Classification

• Have some unique

characteristics
• Unique characteristics
- some features like
Bacteria (prokaryote,
chromosomes, ribosomes)
- some features like eukaryotes
(histones, enzymes)
- some unique features Figure 21.15 in
(membranes, protein synthesis) Russell et al. (2010)

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 BIOL1020 / BIOL1021 – Winter 2020 – Lecture 13 – BACTERIA AND ARCHAEA

How are Prokaryotes Classified?

Prokaryotes – DOMAIN: Archaea - Classification

• Molecular studies reveal

5 evolutionary branches

• Use tolerance/adaptations
to extreme environmental
conditions as clues to
evolutionary relationships
Figure 24.18 from
Morris et al. (2019)

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 BIOL1020 / BIOL1021 – Winter 2020 – Lecture 13 – BACTERIA AND ARCHAEA

Table 24.1. Principal Differences among Archaea, Bacteria, and

CHARACTERISTIC Eukarya ARCHAEA BACTERIA EUKARYA
Cell contains a nucleus and other membrane-bound No No Yes
organelles
DNA occurs in a circular form* Yes Yes No

Ribosome size 70S 70S 80S

Membrane lipids are ester-linked† No Yes Yes

Photosynthesis with chlorophyll No Yes Yes

Capable of growth at temperatures greater than 80°C Yes Yes No

Histone proteins present in cell Yes No Yes

Operons present in DNA Yes Yes No

Introns present in most genes No No Yes

Capable of methanogenesis Yes No No

Sensitive to the antibiotics chloramphenicol, No Yes No

kanamycin, and streptomycin
Capable of nitrogen fixation Yes Yes No

Capable of chemoautotrophy Yes Yes No

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How are Prokaryotes Classified?

1. Euryarchaeota

(a) Methanogens

• methane generators
• live in low-oxygen environments
• obligate anaerobes in
- anoxic sediments of swamps,
lakes, marshes, sewage works
- large intestine of dogs and
humans
- hindguts of insects
- in rumen of cattle, sheep, etc.

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 BIOL1020 / BIOL1021 – Winter 2020 – Lecture 13 – BACTERIA AND ARCHAEA

How are Prokaryotes Classified?

1. Euryarchaeota

(b) Halophiles (“salt loving” )

• live in highly saline environments
• aerobic chemoheterotrophs
- obtain energy from sugars,
alcohols, amino acids
- some use light as a
secondary energy source

(c) Extreme Thermophiles

(“heat loving” )
• live in extremely hot environments
- hydrothermal vents, hot springs
- tolerate temperatures between 70°C
and 95°C
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How are Prokaryotes Classified?

2. Crenarchaeota

(a) Extreme thermophiles

• higher optimal temperature range

than Euryarchaeota organisms

(b) Psychrophiles (“cold loving” )

• thrive at temperatures between

–10°C to -20°C
• found in Antarctic and Arctic oceans

(c) Mesophiles

• many plankton in cool marine waters

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How are Prokaryotes Classified?

3. Korarchaeota

• recognized only by sequences in DNA

samples
• found in hydrothermal environments
but have never been isolated and
cultivated in lab
• nothing known about their physiology

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How are Prokaryotes Classified?

4. Thaumarchaeota

• may be the most abundant cells in the oceans

• chemoautotrophs that use ammonia (involved in Anammox reaction in
nitrogen cycle)

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What is the Evolutionary History of Prokaryotes?

TACK = Thaumarchaeota
Aigarcheota
Crenarchaeota
Korarchaeota

• Phylogeny of Bacteria
and Archaea is still a
work in progress
• Evolution of Bacteria and
Archaea should be viewed
as an intertwined network
instead of as a tree
Figure 24.15 from
© 2020 by M. Olaveson Morris et al. (2019) 18
 BIOL1020 / BIOL1021 – Winter 2020 – Lecture 13 – BACTERIA AND ARCHAEA

Why are Prokaryotes Important to Study?

Help us to better understand:
• disease transmission and treatments (medicine)
• symbiotic relationships with other organisms especially for humans
with the human microbiome
• role of prokaryotes in ecosystem processes (e.g. nutrient cycling,
energy transfer, productivity, structure/function)
• unique ‘talents’ of these tiny ancient but numerous organisms
• ways to use these organisms in biotechnology (for introducing new
genetic material into GMOs)
• uses in bioprocessing (by taking advantage of metabolic diversity to
carry out processes like decomposition, redox reactions, etc.)
• what these organisms that have been living on Earth for ~3.8
billion years can teach us about adaptability and living sustainably
through biomimicry
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 BIOL1020 / BIOL1021 – Winter 2020 – Lecture 13 – BACTERIA AND ARCHAEA

Any Questions ?

Review: Bacteria and Archaea (Chapter 24)

© 2020 by M. Olaveson 20