Life Sciences: Basic structure of Bacteria

Grade 11
Lesson 2

Presenter: Dr Grizelda van Wyk

CLASSIFICATION OF ORGANISMS
KINGDOM OF MONERANS
BACTERIA
 BACTERIA
 Some are pathogenic and cause diseases such as tuberculosis, while most are useful.
 Bacteria are unicellular.
 They are prokaryotic.
 They occur in different shapes:
 BASIC STRUCTURE OF BACTERIA
DNA is called a
nucleoid and has Bacteria have a small circular
no membrane double stranded DNA molecule
around it called a plasmid in the cytoplasm

Cell wall made

There are no up of
membrane- polysaccharides,
bound proteins and
organelles in lipids.
the
cytoplasm

A slime
capsule
A whip-like flagellum is
prevents
used to move in a liquid.
desiccation
The flagella can rotate to
(drying out)
propel the organism
forwards.
 GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF BACTERIA
• Bacteria may be autotrophic or heterotrophic.
 GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF BACTERIA

• There are 2 types of autotrophic bacteria.

They are photosynthetic bacteria and chemosynthetic bacteria.
• The photosynthetic bacteria make their own food using sunlight.
• Chemosynthetic bacteria also make their own food, but the energy need
is obtained from chemical processes.
 GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF BACTERIA
• There are 3 types of heterotrophic bacteria:
parasitic bacteria, saprophytic bacteria and mutualistic bacteria.
• The parasitic bacteria obtain their food from the living
organisms on which they live. They cause harm to these
living organisms.
• If the parasitic bacteria cause diseases they are called
pathogens. If they do not cause disease then they are called
non-pathogens.
• The mutualistic bacteria have a close relationship with another
organism in which they both benefit.
• The saprophytic bacteria obtain their food from dead and
decaying matter. This makes them very important in the nitrogen
cycle and as decomposers.
 REPRODUCTION IN BACTERIA

 Bacteria reproduce very rapidly by binary fission

The DNA
replicates and
then cytokinesis
occurs forming
two cells
 ACTIVITY 1
The diagram below is that of a bacterial cell. 1. Define the term prokaryotic.
A unicellular organism that has no nucleus or
other nuclear bound organelles

2. Identify the parts labelled A, D and G.

A – Slime capsule
D – Nucleoid /DNA
G - Flagellum
3. State the function of the part labelled G.
Allows for movement so
the bacterium can swim