Given that multiple diverse phyla (e.g. diverse phylogenetic groups) of microorganisms can perform similar functions in ecosystems,
how we might predict the microbial functions performed by a particular organism or in a particular environment without relying on growing all of the microbes in the lab?
What will be an ideal response?
Answer: Without growing all of the microbes in the environment, we could rely on molecular (nucleic acid based) techniques to predict the function of uncultivated microbes. Identifying microbes based on their SSU rRNA sequence is not always predictive of function because of convergent evolution, horizontal gene transfer, and gene loss; therefore, techniques that look for and quantify genes known to be involved in particular functions are more reliable and informative. This is one reason that metagenomics and metatranscriptomics are now being used to study microbial communities (Chapter 10).
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Consider a population undergoing logistic growth. When (K-N)/K = 0, what does that imply about the birth rate (b) and death rate (d)?
A. b > d B. b < d C. b = d D. It is not possible to make an inference about b and d from this information.
The major cellular macromolecules include:
A) proteins, amino acids, lipids, and nucleic acids B) proteins, steroids, polysaccharides, and nucleic acids C) proteins, lipids, amino acids, and polysaccharides D) proteins, nucleic acids, polysaccharides, and antibodies E) proteins, nucleic acids, polysaccharides, and lipids
Compare and contrast the intercellular junctions that allow communication between plant and animal cells
What will be an ideal response?
If a beaver eats the bark all the way around a tree trunk (a process called "girdling"), why does the tree die?
A) Water and minerals are no longer supplied to the leaves. B) Cells of the lateral meristem can no longer divide. C) The tree cannot continue to photosynthesize. D) The tree is susceptible to insect and fungal diseases. E) The phloem is damaged, and the transport of sugars ceases.