Question 1

Which of the following methods do NOT involve nucleic acid hybridization of a probe to a specimen?

Accepted Answer

A)  RACE-FISH 
B)  FISH-MAR 
C)  PhyloChips 
D)  T-RFLP 
A)  RACE-FISH 
B)  FISH-MAR 
C)  PhyloChips 
D)  T-RFLP

Question 2

We know that that there are over 50 major phyla in Bacteria; however, only about 25 of these phyla have cultured representatives. Why is this? How are scientists attempting to culture representative from the 25 phyla that do not currently have any organisms in culture?

Accepted Answer

We know that more phyla of Bacteria exis

Question 3

The ¹³C/¹²C isotopic ratio of geological rocks of different ages has been used to examine whether previous biological activity occurred because compounds of biological origin

Accepted Answer

A)  do NOT contain ¹³C. 
B)  have a higher proportion of ¹³C that compounds of geological origin. 
C)  have a lower proportion of ¹³C that compounds of geological origin. 
D)  are not well preserved in geological samples. 
A)  do NOT contain ¹³C. 
B)  have a higher proportion of ¹³C that compounds of geological origin. 
C)  have a lower proportion of ¹³C that compounds of geological origin. 
D)  are not well preserved in geological samples.

Question 4

The biggest limitation of traditional light microscopy and electron microscopy is that they are unable to reveal

Accepted Answer

A)  absolute cell concentration. 
B)  cellular components of small microbes because of the limits of magnification. 
C)  functional diversity of microorganisms in the habitat under study. 
D)  physical microbial interactions as found in nature. 
A)  absolute cell concentration. 
B)  cellular components of small microbes because of the limits of magnification. 
C)  functional diversity of microorganisms in the habitat under study. 
D)  physical microbial interactions as found in nature.

Question 5

Which technique would be used to estimate the concentration of naturally occurring Escherichia coli in a wastewater sample?

Accepted Answer

A)  agar dilution tube method 
B)  laser tweezers method 
C)  most probable number (MPN) method 
D)  cell tagging using GFP method 
A)  agar dilution tube method 
B)  laser tweezers method 
C)  most probable number (MPN) method 
D)  cell tagging using GFP method

Question 6

When dealing with stable isotopes of carbon and sulfur, enzymes tend to favor

Accepted Answer

A)  the lighter isotope. 
B)  the heavier isotope. 
C)  the isotopes in about equal proportions. 
D)  either the lighter or the heavier isotope, depending on environmental conditions. 
A)  the lighter isotope. 
B)  the heavier isotope. 
C)  the isotopes in about equal proportions. 
D)  either the lighter or the heavier isotope, depending on environmental conditions.

Question 7

What unit is isotopic fractionation reported as?

Accepted Answer

A)  parts per billion 
B)  parts per hundred 
C)  parts per thousand 
D)  parts per trillion 
A)  parts per billion 
B)  parts per hundred 
C)  parts per thousand 
D)  parts per trillion

Question 8

Describe what an ITS region is in the context of prokaryotes, and explain the significance of the ITS region for microbial ecology.

Accepted Answer

The ITS region is the nucleotides betwee

Question 9

DGGE and T-RFLP are both molecular microbial ecology methods that use polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify specific genes to assess diversity.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

Analyses of sulfur isotopes have been used as evidence against life on the Moon, because the sulfides in lunar rocks have

Accepted Answer

A)  an isotope composition most similar to marine sulfate, which is enriched in ³⁴S. 
B)  an isotope composition most similar to marine mud, which is enriched in ³⁴S. 
C)  an isotope composition most similar to igneous rocks. 
D)  exactly equal amounts of ³⁴S and ³²S. 
A)  an isotope composition most similar to marine sulfate, which is enriched in ³⁴S. 
B)  an isotope composition most similar to marine mud, which is enriched in ³⁴S. 
C)  an isotope composition most similar to igneous rocks. 
D)  exactly equal amounts of ³⁴S and ³²S.

Question 11

Propose an experiment to identify members capable of assimilating monomers of lignin within a microbial community.

Accepted Answer

SIP could be used, which would require i

Question 12

Using specific examples, when is it appropriate to use CARD-FISH rather than the traditional FISH method and vice-versa?

Accepted Answer

CARD-FISH is especially useful when the

Question 13

When laser tweezers are used, the laser beam can trap

Accepted Answer

A)  an isolated single-copy genome in a capillary tube. 
B)  a single microbial cell in a capillary tube. 
C)  a single microbial colony on a plate. 
D)  multiple cells of the same type on a plate. 
A)  an isolated single-copy genome in a capillary tube. 
B)  a single microbial cell in a capillary tube. 
C)  a single microbial colony on a plate. 
D)  multiple cells of the same type on a plate.

Question 14

The goal of environmental genomics is to detect as many genes as possible and then, if possible, to determine to the phylogeny of the organisms to which the genes belong.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

Describe how FISH can be used to determine which cells within a microbial community are actively degrading toluene. Assume the genes involved in the metabolic pathway have been sequenced from several microorganisms and vary only slightly from one another.

Accepted Answer

A conserved gene sequence would need to

Question 16

Amplification of chromosomal DNA from a single-cell is accomplished by

Accepted Answer

A)  using PhyloChips. 
B)  using multiple displacement amplification. 
C)  creating complementary DNA from transcripts of a single-cell. 
D)  cloning fragments of the chromosome from the single-cell into a multi-copy plasmid. 
A)  using PhyloChips. 
B)  using multiple displacement amplification. 
C)  creating complementary DNA from transcripts of a single-cell. 
D)  cloning fragments of the chromosome from the single-cell into a multi-copy plasmid.

Question 17

Which method requires the addition of at least one radioactive chemical?

Accepted Answer

A)  CARD-FISH 
B)  MAR 
C)  GeoChips 
D)  SIP 
A)  CARD-FISH 
B)  MAR 
C)  GeoChips 
D)  SIP

Question 18

Which molecular method allows for the detection of a specific organism within a diverse microbial community?

Accepted Answer

A)  fluorescent DNA staining using DAPI 
B)  viability staining 
C)  enrichment techniques 
D)  fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) 
A)  fluorescent DNA staining using DAPI 
B)  viability staining 
C)  enrichment techniques 
D)  fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH)

Question 19

Which of the following techniques can link prokaryotic phylogeny and metabolic function?

Accepted Answer

A)  DAPI staining 
B)  stable isotope probing only 
C)  environmental genomics only 
D)  environmental genomics and stable isotope probing 
A)  DAPI staining 
B)  stable isotope probing only 
C)  environmental genomics only 
D)  environmental genomics and stable isotope probing

Question 20

Traditional enrichment culturing circumvents issues associated with ʺweedʺ species from overcoming the population.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 19: Taking the Measure of Microbial Systems

Which of the following methods do NOT involve nucleic acid hybridization of a probe to a specimen?

We know that that there are over 50 major phyla in Bacteria; however, only about 25 of these phyla have cultured representatives. Why is this? How are scientists attempting to culture representative from the 25 phyla that do not currently have any organisms in culture?

The ¹³C/¹²C isotopic ratio of geological rocks of different ages has been used to examine whether previous biological activity occurred because compounds of biological origin

The biggest limitation of traditional light microscopy and electron microscopy is that they are unable to reveal

Which technique would be used to estimate the concentration of naturally occurring Escherichia coli in a wastewater sample?

When dealing with stable isotopes of carbon and sulfur, enzymes tend to favor

What unit is isotopic fractionation reported as?

Describe what an ITS region is in the context of prokaryotes, and explain the significance of the ITS region for microbial ecology.

DGGE and T-RFLP are both molecular microbial ecology methods that use polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify specific genes to assess diversity.

Analyses of sulfur isotopes have been used as evidence against life on the Moon, because the sulfides in lunar rocks have

Propose an experiment to identify members capable of assimilating monomers of lignin within a microbial community.

Using specific examples, when is it appropriate to use CARD-FISH rather than the traditional FISH method and vice-versa?

When laser tweezers are used, the laser beam can trap

The goal of environmental genomics is to detect as many genes as possible and then, if possible, to determine to the phylogeny of the organisms to which the genes belong.

Describe how FISH can be used to determine which cells within a microbial community are actively degrading toluene. Assume the genes involved in the metabolic pathway have been sequenced from several microorganisms and vary only slightly from one another.

Amplification of chromosomal DNA from a single-cell is accomplished by

Which method requires the addition of at least one radioactive chemical?

Which molecular method allows for the detection of a specific organism within a diverse microbial community?

Which of the following techniques can link prokaryotic phylogeny and metabolic function?

Traditional enrichment culturing circumvents issues associated with ʺweedʺ species from overcoming the population.

The Microbial World

Microbial Cell Structure and Function

Microbial Metabolism

Molecular Information Flow and Protein Processing

Microbial Growth and Its Control

Microbial Regulatory Systems

Molecular Biology of Microbial Growth

Viruses and Their Replication

Microbial Systems Biology

Viral Genomics, Diversity, and Ecology

Genetics of Bacteria and Archaea

Biotechnology and Synthetic Biology

Microbial Evolution and Systematics

Metabolic Diversity of Microorganisms

Functional Diversity of Microorganisms

Diversity of Bacteria

Diversity of Archaea

Diversity of Microbial Eukarya

Microbial Ecosystems

Nutrient Cycles

Microbiology of the Built Environment

Microbial Symbioses

Microbial Symbioses with Humans

Microbial Infection and Pathogenesis

Innate Immunity: Broadly Specific Host Defenses

Adaptive Immunity: Highly Specific Host Defenses

Clinical Microbiology and Immunology

Epidemiology

Person-to-Person Bacterial and Viral Diseases

Vectorborne and Soilborne Bacterial and Viral Diseases

Waterborne and Foodborne Bacterial and Viral Diseases

Eukaryotic Pathogens: Fungi, Protozoans, and Helminths

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