Exam 26: Microbial Ecology and Microbiomes

Which potential biological select agent currently has no natural source?

What is carbon fixation?

Which of the following would be most effective in reducing the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere?

Which aquatic zone in a lake will have the highest nutrient levels and therefore the densest microbial populations?

Metals are cycled in the environment by microbes that (oxidize/reduce/solubilize) them.

During decomposition of amino acids, the amino groups undergo (ammonification/anammox/denitrification) and are converted to ammonia.

Acidic drainage from mine tailings is harmful to all life.

What type(s) of microbial interactions take place in a microhabitat?

Bedrock does not contain microorganisms.

Algae and protozoa in the soil are quite hardy, and therefore their abundance is not a useful indicator of environmental pollution.

Eutrophication is primarily a result of (agricultural/industrial/urban) runoff.

All the microbes in a community in one location constitute a(n) (biosphere/ecosystem/microbiome).

Which of the following bacteria is a common soil contaminant that may cause disease in humans and is a biological select agent?

A biofilm is an example of (antagonism/competition/cooperation) among microbes.

Some microbes can (dissimilate/oxidize/reduce) hydrogen sulfide to elemental sulfur.

Which of the following is a nitrogen-fixing bacterium that forms associations with the roots of plants?

Anaerobic oxidation of (methane/rubisco/plastics) produces carbon dioxide.

Which of the following sets of characteristics describes the highest level of threat potential from biological weapons?

Members of a guild are metabolically related to each other.

The use of microorganisms to clean a polluted environment is