Deck 26: Bacteria and Archaea: the Prokaryotic Domains

Question 1

Which statement about archaeal genomes is true?

A) They are typically organized in a circular chromosome, like bacterial genomes.
B) They include no rRNA genes.
C) They are always much smaller than bacterial genomes.
D) They are housed in the nucleus of the archaeal cell.
E) No archaeal genome has yet been sequenced.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

_______ are more closely related to _______ than they are to _______.

A) Bacteria; Archaea; Eukarya
B) Bacteria; Eukarya; Archaea
C) Archaea; Bacteria; Eukarya
D) Eukarya; Archaea; Bacteria
E) Eukarya; Bacteria; Archaea

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Archaea

A) have cytoskeletons.
B) have distinctive lipids in their plasma membranes.
C) survive only at moderate temperatures and near neutrality.
D) all produce methane.
E) have substantial amounts of peptidoglycan in their cell walls.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following is not a characteristic of prokaryotic cells?

A) A membrane-enclosed nucleus
B) A photosynthetic membrane system
C) Peptidoglycan
D) Circular DNA
E) Membrane-enclosed organelles

Question 5

Chlamydias

A) are among the smallest archaea.
B) live on the surface of human skin.
C) are never pathogenic to humans.
D) live only as parasites in the cells of other organisms.
E) have a very simple life cycle.

Question 6

Which of the following statements about Archaea is false?

A) They live in harsh environments.
B) Their cell walls lack peptidoglycan.
C) They are unlike most bacteria.
D) There are similarities in their base sequences of ribosomal RNAs.
E) They are a recently evolved group.

Question 7

Most prokaryotes

A) are agents of disease.
B) lack ribosomes.
C) evolved from the most ancient eukaryotes.
D) lack a cell wall.
E) are chemoheterotrophs.

Question 8

The domains of life are

A) Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya.
B) Bacteria, Fungi, Plants, and Animals.
C) Bacteria, Protists, Fungi, Plants, and Animals.
D) Plants and Animals.
E) None of the above

Question 9

The closest monophyletic group(s) to the domain Bacteria is (are)

A) Eukarya.
B) Eukarya and Archaea.
C) Archaea.
D) Bacteria and Eukarya.
E) Prokaryotes.

Question 10

Genetic evidence suggests that viruses

A) are most closely related to Bacteria.
B) are most closely related to Archaea.
C) are most closely related to Eukarya.
D) have evolved multiple times from many different cellular species.
E) evolved from the fusion of a bacterial and an archaeal species.

Question 11

Archaea is the closest sister group to the

A) bacteria.
B) bacteria and eukaryotes.
C) eukaryotes.
D) prokaryotes.
E) None of the above

Question 12

Which statement about nitrogen metabolism is not true?

A) Certain prokaryotes reduce atmospheric N₂ to ammonia.
B) Some nitrifiers are soil bacteria.
C) Denitrifiers are obligate anaerobes.
D) Nitrifiers obtain energy by oxidizing ammonia and nitrite.
E) Without nitrifiers, terrestrial organisms would lack anitrogen supply.

Question 13

Which of the following is found in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes?

A) Membrane-enclosed organelles
B) A system for generating ATP
C) A nucleus
D) Chromatin
E) Histones

Question 14

All photosynthetic bacteria

A) use chlorophyll a as their photosynthetic pigment.
B) use bacteriochlorophyll as their photosynthetic pigment.
C) release oxygen gas.
D) produce particles of sulfur.
E) are photoautotrophs.

Question 15

The common ancestry (monophyly) of the three domains (Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya) is confirmed by

A) the similar appearances of different organisms.
B) ample fossil evidence.
C) DNA as the genetic material that encodes for proteins.
D) None of the above
E) All of the above

Question 16

Gram-negative bacteria

A) appear blue to purple following Gram staining.
B) appear pink to red following Gram staining.
C) are all either bacilli or cocci.
D) contain no peptidoglycan in their cell walls.
E) are all photosynthetic.

Question 17

The common ancestor of all three domains of life probably had

A) membrane-bound organelles.
B) a circular chromosome.
C) a Golgi apparatus.
D) operons.
E) a nucleus.

Question 18

The division of the living world into three domains

A) is based on the number of cells in organisms of each group.
B) is based mostly on the major morphological differences between archaea and bacteria.
C) emphasizes the greater importance of eukaryotes.
D) was proposed by the early microscopists.
E) is based on phylogenetic relationships determined from nucleotide sequences of rRNA and other genes.

Question 19

Which of the following is not a basic feature of a prokaryotic cell?

A) DNA
B) RNA
C) Enzymes for transcription and translation
D) A system for generating ATP
E) An immune system

Question 20

Endospores

A) are produced by viruses.
B) are reproductive structures.
C) are very delicate and easily killed.
D) are resting structures.
E) lack cell walls.

Question 21

The space between the outer membrane and the plasma membrane of a Gram-negative bacterium is called the _______ space.

A) periplasmic
B) negative
C) perimembrane
D) enzymatic
E) resistance

Question 22

The sequencing of rRNA allowed scientists to understand

A) the clear relationships among different prokaryotic species.
B) that certain nucleic acid sequences are unique to archaea and eukarya.
C) that archaea are similar to bacteria.
D) that all DNA is relatively the same.
E) that half of the sequences of archaea were previously unknown.

Question 23

An ecosystem based on chemolithotrophs exists 2,500 meters below the ocean surface near the Galápagos Islands. These archaea

A) use light as energy and carbon dioxide for carbon.
B) use light as energy and get organic compounds from other organisms.
C) oxidize inorganic substances for energy and use carbon dioxide for carbon.
D) get both energy and carbon from organic compounds.
E) oxidize organic compounds for energy and use carbon dioxide for carbon.

Question 24

The flagella of prokaryotes

A) are structurally related to those of eukaryotes.
B) are similar to cilia.
C) are structurally unrelated to those of eukaryotes.
D) operate the same way as those of spermatozoa.
E) a, b, and d

Question 25

The earliest prokaryotic fossils date back at least _______ years.

A) 35,000
B) 350,000
C) 3.5 million
D) 3.5 billion
E) 3.5 trillion

Question 26

Bacteria reproduce

A) only asexually.
B) only sexually.
C) asexually, and exchange genetic information by transformation, conjugation, and transduction.
D) following mitosis.
E) Both a and d

Question 27

The Gram method is useful for classifying all bacteria that

A) have two plasma membranes.
B) have cell walls.
C) have cell walls with at least some peptidoglycan.
D) are prokaryotic.
E) form endospores.

Question 28

Which of the following statements about Archaea is false?

A) They include some species that live in environments with extreme salinity and low oxygen.
B) They have peptidoglycan in their cell walls.
C) Their rRNA differs as much from Bacteria's DNA as it does from Eukarya's DNA.
D) They include some species that are obligate anaerobes, which produce all the methane in the atmosphere.
E) They include some species that love heat and acid and may die of "cold" at 55ºC (131ºF).

Question 29

The range of time between cell divisions for different bacteria in a vegetative state is from _______ to _______.

A) 10 minutes; 100 years
B) 1 minute; 60 minutes
C) 10 minutes; 60 minutes
D) 20 minutes; 120 minutes
E) 1 minute; 1,000 years

Question 30

In light, purple sulfur bacteria use H₂S as an electron donor and release pure sulfur as a waste product. They are examples of

A) photoautotrophs.
B) photoheterotrophs.
C) chemolithotrophs.
D) chemoheterotrophs.
E) deep-sea, volcanic vent bacteria.

Question 31

The majority of bacteria are

A) photoautotrophs.
B) photoheterotrophs.
C) chemolithotrophs.
D) chemoheterotrophs.
E) disease-causing.

Question 32

Bacteria move by means of

A) flagella, gas vesicles, and rolling.
B) flagella, cilia, and axial filaments.
C) axial filaments, rolling, and pseudopods.
D) cilia, pseudopods, and axial filaments.
E) pseudopods, flagella, and cilia.

Question 33

Synthesis of peptidoglycan-containing cell walls is affected by

A) archaea.
B) antibiotics.
C) bacteria.
D) high toxigenicity.
E) Gram stains.

Question 34

Peptidoglycan is a unique feature of the

A) Bacteria.
B) Bacteria and Eukarya.
C) Eukarya.
D) Prokaryota.
E) None of the above

Question 35

Which of the following statements about bacteria is true?

A) Gram-positive bacteria have a lot of peptidoglycan in their cell walls and stain blue to purple.
B) Gram-positive bacteria have relatively little peptidoglycan in their cell walls and stain pink to red.
C) Gram-positive bacteria weigh more than a gram.
D) Gram-positive bacteria weigh more than a milligram.
E) Gram-negative bacteria have no peptidoglycan in their cell walls.

Question 36

Which of the following is a broad nutritional category of prokaryotes that is recognized by biologists?

A) Physioautotrophs
B) Heteroautotrophs
C) Chemolithotrophs
D) Both a and b
E) Both a and c

Question 37

Bacteria may differ from one another in

A) structure.
B) metabolism.
C) life cycle.
D) Both a and c
E) All of the above

Question 38

Which of the following nutritional categories of bacteria can exist independently of other organisms?

A) Photoautotrophs
B) Photoheterotrophs
C) Photochemotrophs
D) Chemoheterotrophs
E) None of the above

Question 39

Gram-negative rods

A) are all closely related.
B) include Escherichia coli as well as many human pathogens.
C) can reproduce only within the cells of other organisms.
D) all possess structures called axial filaments.
E) include the important genera Bacillus and Clostridium.

Question 40

Before they had the ability to decipher nucleotide sequences, biologists classified prokaryotes based on several characteristics. Which of the following was not one of these characteristics?

A) Nutritional requirements
B) Phenotypic characteristics like shape or color
C) Sensitivity to antibiotics
D) Modes of locomotion
E) Multiple genes

Question 41

Lateral gene transfer is the process by which

A) scientists make transgenic organisms.
B) prokaryotes within a species exchange genes.
C) prokaryotes acquire DNA from a different species.
D) genes are passed to daughter cells.
E) None of the above

Question 42

How are prokaryote phylogenies different from mammal phylogenies?

A) There is a high degree of lateral gene transfer in mammals.
B) Mammal phylogenies are constructed from evidence based in DNA, whereas prokaryote phylogenies are based in RNA.
C) There is a high degree of lateral gene transfer in prokaryotes.
D) The phylogenetic reconstruction process is much simpler for prokaryotes because they are much smaller.
E) None of the above

Question 43

Which one of the following is not a motivation for the classification of biological organisms?

A) To provide universal names
B) To show evolutionary affinity
C) To facilitate identification
D) To display diversity
E) All are motivations for the classification of biological organisms.

Question 44

Actinobacteria

A) are photoheterotrophs.
B) are the source of many important antibiotics.
C) are Gram-negative bacteria.
D) were once classified as protists.
E) are the only bacteria that divide by mitosis.

Question 45

Which of the following is not a reason that ribosomal RNA (rRNA) is useful for studying the evolutionary relationships among living organisms?

A) rRNA undergoes a high degree of lateral transfer.
B) No free living organism lacks rRNA.
C) rRNA plays a critical role in the translation process in all organisms.
D) rRNA evolves slowly, so it can be analyzed across a wide range of organisms.
E) rRNA is evolutionarily ancient and was present in the common ancestor of all life forms.

Question 46

The chlorophyll of cyanobacteria is

A) like that of plants.
B) distinct from the chlorophyll of plants.
C) bacteriochlorophyll.
D) bacteriorhodopsin.
E) None of the above

Question 47

Cyanobacteria

A) are a diverse, unrelated group of bacteria.
B) use chlorophyll a and release oxygen during photosynthesis.
C) are the only group of photosynthetic bacteria.
D) can reproduce sexually.
E) are obligate aerobes.

Question 48

Use the following to answer questions:
Match the following descriptions of groups of bacteria with their names from the list below.

-These Gram-positive bacteria form mycelia-like chains of cells. They include those bacteria that cause tuberculosis and those that produce streptomycin. Most antibiotics come from bacteria in this group.

A) Cyanobacteria
B) Spirochetes
C) Chlamydia
D) Gram-negative rods
E) Actinobacteria
F) Mycoplasmas

Question 49

Use the following to answer questions:
Match the following descriptions of groups of bacteria with their names from the list below.

-These bacteria photosynthesize using chlorophyll a, are a homogeneous grouping with similar rRNA sequences, and contain photosynthetic lamellae.

A) Cyanobacteria
B) Spirochetes
C) Chlamydia
D) Gram-negative rods
E) Actinobacteria
F) Mycoplasmas

Question 50

A consensus tree consists of

A) a cladogram based on morphological characteristics only.
B) a cladogram that summarizes evolutionary relationships between organisms using data from multiple different gene sequences.
C) a cladogram showing lateral gene transfer for a single gene.
D) the evolutionary relationship between organisms based on a single DNA sequence.
E) None of the above

Question 51

Genes that are likely to undergo lateral transfer are those that

A) are involved in antibiotic resistance.
B) confer a fitness advantage to the recipient.
C) are highly conserved and involved in DNA replication.
D) Both a and b
E) Both b and c

Question 52

Use the following to answer questions:
Match the following descriptions of groups of bacteria with their names from the list below.

-These bacteria are small intracellular parasites that have a unique, complex reproductive cycle and include strains that cause eye infections and venereal disease.

A) Cyanobacteria
B) Spirochetes
C) Chlamydia
D) Gram-negative rods
E) Actinobacteria
F) Mycoplasmas

Question 53

Some cyanobacteria that form filamentous colonies possess heterocysts, which are

A) a means of locomotion.
B) cells specialized for nitrogen fixation.
C) resting stages.
D) endospores.
E) None of the above

Question 54

Which of the following statements about endospores is false?

A) Parent cells can produce more than one.
B) They can survive harsh environmental conditions.
C) They contain some cytoplasm and replicated nucleic acid.
D) They are enclosed within a tough cell wall.
E) They are a resting structure, not a reproductive structure.

Question 55

Use the following to answer questions:
Match the following descriptions of groups of bacteria with their names from the list below.

-These bacteria are not a monophyletic group.

A) Cyanobacteria
B) Spirochetes
C) Chlamydia
D) Gram-negative rods
E) Actinobacteria
F) Mycoplasmas

Question 56

Spirochetes

A) are all free-living.
B) are the only spiral-shaped bacteria.
C) can form chains of cells.
D) all possess structures called axial filaments.
E) are all parasites of other bacteria.

Question 57

Use the following to answer questions:
Match the following descriptions of groups of bacteria with their names from the list below.

-These bacteria lack cell walls and are among the smallest cellular creatures. They are mostly plant and animal parasites.

A) Cyanobacteria
B) Spirochetes
C) Chlamydia
D) Gram-negative rods
E) Actinobacteria
F) Mycoplasmas

Question 58

The size of the smallest bacterium is _______ $\mu$ m.

A) 0.2
B) 2
C) 7.5
D) 75
E) 750

Question 59

Chlamydias

A) can form heterocysts.
B) form a branched, filamentous mycelium.
C) contain less DNA than any other organism.
D) can live only within the cells of other organisms.
E) were once classified as fungi.

Question 60

Use the following to answer questions:
Match the following descriptions of groups of bacteria with their names from the list below.

-These bacteria use axial filaments to move and include the bacterium that causes syphilis.

A) Cyanobacteria
B) Spirochetes
C) Chlamydia
D) Gram-negative rods
E) Actinobacteria
F) Mycoplasmas

Question 61

Which of the following statements about methanogens is false?

A) Methane is their preferred carbon source.
B) They are associated with mammalian flatulence.
C) They prefer anaerobic conditions.
D) Some are thermophilic.
E) Some live in volcanic vents on the ocean floor.

Question 62

Cattle depend on prokaryotes to perform important steps in digestion of plant material, such as generating the enzyme

A) amylase.
B) cellulase.
C) kinase.
D) telomerase.
E) glyoxalase.

Question 63

Negative-sense single-stranded RNA viruses

A) have only a few genes, including one that allows them to make mRNA from their genome.
B) are responsible for causing plant diseases and are referred to as mosaic viruses.
C) regenerate themselves by reverse transcription.
D) are polyphyletic and include some that have more than a million base pairs.
E) have distinct lipids in their plasma membranes.

Question 64

Mycoplasmas

A) contain less DNA than most other prokaryotes do.
B) have peptidoglycan in their cell walls.
C) form a branched, filamentous mycelium.
D) possess elaborate internal membrane systems.
E) can be controlled by penicillin.

Question 65

An ecologist examining a plant with yellow, sick-looking leaves wonders if the fungus found on its roots is the pathogenic organism. Which of the following steps would be necessary in order to confirm that the fungus is responsible for the disease?

A) Establish that all sick plants have the fungus on their roots.
B) Cause healthy plants to become sick if the fungus is applied to their roots.
C) Be able to isolate the same fungus from newly infected hosts.
D) Both a and b
E) All of the above

Question 66

Some biologists think that viruses should not be classified as living organisms because

A) they do not have a cellular structure.
B) they infect all cellular forms of life.
C) they depend on cellular organisms in order to replicate.
D) Both a and b
E) Both a and c

Question 67

Which of the following does not describe the biofilm found in the human large intestine?

A) It is a dangerous combination of different species of toxic bacteria.
B) It facilitates nutrient transfer from the intestine to the body.
C) It is essential for our health.
D) Its exact species makeup varies from region to region.
E) Humans get vitamins B₁₂ and K from the bacterial waste products.

Question 68

Viruses are thought to have

A) evolved only once in evolutionary history.
B) evolved from escaped genomic components.
C) evolved from reduced cellular components.
D) evolved only twice.
E) Both b and c

Question 69

An extremely important set of rules for the determination of bacterial disease transmission is

A) Ehrlich's optimal law.
B) Koch's postulates.
C) Occam's razor.
D) Zeno's paradox.
E) Darwin's law of evolution by natural selection.

Question 70

Which of the following areas or conditions would be favored by thermoacidophiles?

A) The stomachs of many herbivores
B) Hot, alkaline springs
C) Anaerobic conditions
D) Hot sulfur springs
E) Deep-sea volcanic vents

Question 71

Which of the following is not one of Koch's postulates?

A) The microorganism is always found in the diseased individual.
B) The microorganism taken from the diseased host can be grown in pure culture.
C) A sample of the pure culture of the microorganism produces the disease when it is injected into an uninfected host.
D) A host infected by injection from the cultured microorganism yields a new culture of the microorganism identical to the original culture.
E) The microorganism can be transmitted by insect vectors.

Question 72

Bacteria are known for the many roles they play in biological communities. Which of the following is the rarest role for this group of organisms?

A) Pathogen
B) Digestive aid
C) Nitrogen and sulfur processor in soils
D) Decomposer
E) Industry and agricultural use

Question 73

If you were looking for a new heat-tolerant DNA polymerase enzyme, you would investigate

A) thermoacidophiles.
B) methanogens.
C) strict halophiles.
D) Both a and b
E) All of the above

Question 74

Which of the following bacterial groups includes the greatest number of species?

A) Chlamydias
B) Proteobacteria
C) Actinobacteria
D) Mycoplasmas
E) Cyanobacteria

Question 75

One factor that determines the consequences of a bacterial infection for the host is the ability of the bacterium to produce chemical substances injurious to the host's tissues. The anthrax-causing bacterium, Bacillus anthracis, produces few toxins. However, it can multiply readily and ultimately it invades the entire bloodstream. Such a bacterium, therefore, has qualities of _______ invasiveness and _______ toxigenicity.

A) low; high
B) high; high
C) low; low
D) high; low
E) moderate; moderate

Question 76

Which of the following characteristics or components is (are) distinctive to archaea?

A) Unique genes not found in other domains
B) Branched, long-chain hydrocarbons
C) A lack of peptidoglycan
D) Lipids with glycerol-ether linkages
E) All of the above

Question 77

Which group of prokaryotes was responsible for converting Earth's early atmosphere from anaerobic to aerobic?

A) Proteobacteria
B) Halophiles
C) Cyanobacteria
D) Spirochetes
E) Actinobacteria

Question 78

Bacteria participate in

A) digestion in animals.
B) processing nitrogen and sulfur in soils.
C) decomposition in all ecosystems.
D) many industrial and commercial processes.
E) All of the above

Question 79

Prokaryotes, along with fungi, return tremendous quantities of organic carbon to the atmosphere as

A) ATP.
B) CO₂.
C) photosynthesis.
D) evolution.
E) nitrogen gas.

Question 80

Which of the following factors make it difficult to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships in viruses?

A) Small genomes
B) Diverse capsid morphologies
C) Rapid evolutionary rates
D) Both a and b
E) Both a and c