Question 1

The diversity of microorganisms in culture collections is representative of the diversity of microorganisms found in nature.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

By using simple microscopy techniques,it is possible to determine if a culture is contaminated with another organism.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

A study of the human gut performed in 1982 used various types of plates under different growth conditions to describe and enumerate the microbes in the human gut.They concluded that the majority of the microbes in the human gut are Gammaproteobacteria.A study conducted in 2010 using next-generation sequencing to characterize 16S rRNA sequences concluded that the majority of the microbes in the human gut are Firmicutes and Bacteriodetes.Why did these studies have different conclusions? Which study do you think is most accurate?

Accepted Answer

The studies do not agree because of enri

Question 4

Genes encoding ________ are widely used as target genes in molecular biodiversity studies.

Accepted Answer

A)  ATPases 
B)  DNA polymerase III 
C)  16S rRNA 
D)  RNA polymerase 
A)  ATPases 
B)  DNA polymerase III 
C)  16S rRNA 
D)  RNA polymerase

Question 5

Collective estimates of the physiological reactions occurring in the entire microbial community are known as ________ measurements.

Accepted Answer

A)  in vitro 
B)  in situ 
C)  activity 
D)  metagenomics 
A)  in vitro 
B)  in situ 
C)  activity 
D)  metagenomics

Question 6

The Winogradsky column is a method for assessing the entire gene complement of a habitat,revealing both the biodiversity and metabolic capabilities of the microbial community at the same time.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

The term axenic is used to describe a(n)

Accepted Answer

A)  anaerobic culture. 
B)  anoxygenic culture. 
C)  nutritionally deficient culture. 
D)  pure culture. 
A)  anaerobic culture. 
B)  anoxygenic culture. 
C)  nutritionally deficient culture. 
D)  pure culture.

Question 8

When laser tweezers are used,the laser beam traps

Accepted Answer

A)  isolated single-copy genomes. 
B)  a single microbial cell. 
C)  a single microbial colony on a plate. 
D)  multiple cells of the same type. 
A)  isolated single-copy genomes. 
B)  a single microbial cell. 
C)  a single microbial colony on a plate. 
D)  multiple cells of the same type.

Question 9

Metaproteomics is a more developed field than metatranscriptomics due to the high sensitivity of mass spectrometry.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

For what purpose would a microbial ecologist use a microsensor?

Accepted Answer

A)  to determine the concentration of cells in small increments in a sediment or water column 
B)  to determine the expression of a particular gene in a microbial community 
C)  to quantify the uptake of a radioactive material 
D)  to determine the concentration of O₂, N₂O, or other chemical species in small increments in a sediment or water column 
A)  to determine the concentration of cells in small increments in a sediment or water column 
B)  to determine the expression of a particular gene in a microbial community 
C)  to quantify the uptake of a radioactive material 
D)  to determine the concentration of O₂, N₂O, or other chemical species in small increments in a sediment or water column

Question 11

The element(s)that have proven useful for stable isotope studies are

Accepted Answer

A)  carbon. 
B)  nitrogen. 
C)  sulfur. 
D)  carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur. 
A)  carbon. 
B)  nitrogen. 
C)  sulfur. 
D)  carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur.

Question 12

Which approach would help to identify biologically produced sulfur in a sediment sample?

Accepted Answer

A)  enrichment 
B)  isotopic fractionation 
C)  microautoradiography 
D)  microelectrodes 
A)  enrichment 
B)  isotopic fractionation 
C)  microautoradiography 
D)  microelectrodes

Question 13

Once a putative pure culture has been obtained from the environment,it is no longer necessary to check its purity.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

What are the pros and cons of traditional enrichment culture techniques? What advances in the last decade are improving enrichment culture techniques to aid the cultivation of uncultured microorganisms?

Accepted Answer

The pros of traditional enrichment cultu

Question 15

The overall purpose of DGGE is to

Accepted Answer

A)  separate genomes that are less than 95% similar. 
B)  measure activity of cells that use DGGE as an energy source. 
C)  detect cells that utilize a specific radiolabeled substrate. 
D)  separate genes of the same length that differ in their denaturing profile due to sequence variation. 
A)  separate genomes that are less than 95% similar. 
B)  measure activity of cells that use DGGE as an energy source. 
C)  detect cells that utilize a specific radiolabeled substrate. 
D)  separate genes of the same length that differ in their denaturing profile due to sequence variation.

Question 16

The term used when an organism is studied in its natural environment is

Accepted Answer

A)  au naturale. 
B)  in vitro. 
C)  in situ. 
D)  in toto. 
A)  au naturale. 
B)  in vitro. 
C)  in situ. 
D)  in toto.

Question 17

In microbial ecology studies,the FISH technique identifies organisms based on

Accepted Answer

A)  the presence of green fluorescent protein. 
B)  fluorescence of unique cofactors or pigments under certain wavelengths of UV light. 
C)  hybridization of a fluorescent probe to specific ribosomal RNA sequences. 
D)  the presence of luciferase. 
A)  the presence of green fluorescent protein. 
B)  fluorescence of unique cofactors or pigments under certain wavelengths of UV light. 
C)  hybridization of a fluorescent probe to specific ribosomal RNA sequences. 
D)  the presence of luciferase.

Question 18

Which of the following hypotheses could be tested using microautoradiography fluorescence in situ hybridization (MAR-FISH)?

Accepted Answer

A)  Bacteriorodopsin uses light energy to translocate protons. 
B)  Archaea are the main autotrophs in marine water samples taken 300m below the surface of the ocean. 
C)  The microbial community of agricultural soils is more phylogenetically diverse than the microbial community of native prairie soils. 
D)  The ammonia monooxygenase gene is present in members of the phylum Verrucomicrobium. 
A)  Bacteriorodopsin uses light energy to translocate protons. 
B)  Archaea are the main autotrophs in marine water samples taken 300m below the surface of the ocean. 
C)  The microbial community of agricultural soils is more phylogenetically diverse than the microbial community of native prairie soils. 
D)  The ammonia monooxygenase gene is present in members of the phylum Verrucomicrobium.

Question 19

In an agar dilution tube,microbial colonies grow

Accepted Answer

A)  at the bottom of the tube. 
B)  on the sides of the tube, although some may be at the surface. 
C)  embedded in the agar, rather than growing on the surface. 
D)  on the surface, but some creep down the sides away from the surface. 
A)  at the bottom of the tube. 
B)  on the sides of the tube, although some may be at the surface. 
C)  embedded in the agar, rather than growing on the surface. 
D)  on the surface, but some creep down the sides away from the surface.

Question 20

Stable isotope probing (SIP)is a method that

Accepted Answer

A)  causes cells that hybridize with a fluorescent probe to fluoresce under UV light. 
B)  compares the isotopic ratios of different compounds in the environment to determine whether they are of biological or geological origin. 
C)  uses substrates containing heavy isotopes to label the DNA of organisms that use those substrates. 
D)  compares the transcription of specific isotope labeled genes under different conditions. 
A)  causes cells that hybridize with a fluorescent probe to fluoresce under UV light. 
B)  compares the isotopic ratios of different compounds in the environment to determine whether they are of biological or geological origin. 
C)  uses substrates containing heavy isotopes to label the DNA of organisms that use those substrates. 
D)  compares the transcription of specific isotope labeled genes under different conditions.

Exam 18: Methods in Microbial Ecology

The diversity of microorganisms in culture collections is representative of the diversity of microorganisms found in nature.

By using simple microscopy techniques,it is possible to determine if a culture is contaminated with another organism.

Genes encoding ________ are widely used as target genes in molecular biodiversity studies.

Collective estimates of the physiological reactions occurring in the entire microbial community are known as ________ measurements.

The Winogradsky column is a method for assessing the entire gene complement of a habitat,revealing both the biodiversity and metabolic capabilities of the microbial community at the same time.

The term axenic is used to describe a(n)

When laser tweezers are used,the laser beam traps

Metaproteomics is a more developed field than metatranscriptomics due to the high sensitivity of mass spectrometry.

For what purpose would a microbial ecologist use a microsensor?

The element(s)that have proven useful for stable isotope studies are

Which approach would help to identify biologically produced sulfur in a sediment sample?

Once a putative pure culture has been obtained from the environment,it is no longer necessary to check its purity.

What are the pros and cons of traditional enrichment culture techniques? What advances in the last decade are improving enrichment culture techniques to aid the cultivation of uncultured microorganisms?

The overall purpose of DGGE is to

The term used when an organism is studied in its natural environment is

In microbial ecology studies,the FISH technique identifies organisms based on

Which of the following hypotheses could be tested using microautoradiography fluorescence in situ hybridization (MAR-FISH)?

In an agar dilution tube,microbial colonies grow

Stable isotope probing (SIP)is a method that

Microorganisms and Microbiology

Microbial Cell Structure and Function

Microbial Metabolism

Molecular Biology

Microbial Growth and Control

Microbial Genomics

Metabolic Regulation

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Viral Genomes and Diversity

Genetics of Bacteria and Archaea

Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology

Microbial Evolution and Systematics

Metabolic Diversity of Microorganisms

Functional Diversity of Bacteria

Diversity of Bacteria

Diversity of Archaea

Diversity of Eukaryotic Microorganisms

Microbial Ecosystems

Nutrient Cycles

Microbiology of the Built Environment

Microbial Symbioses

Microbial Interactions With Humans

Immunity and Host Defense

Immune Mechanisms

Molecular Immunology

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Person-To-Person Bacterial and Viral Diseases

Vectorborne and Soilborne Bacterial and Viral Diseases

Water and Food As Vehicles of Bacterial Diseases

Eukaryotic Pathogens: Fungal and Parasitic Diseases

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