11.

2: DOMAIN BACTERIA AND

DOMAIN ARCHAEA
 LEARNING OUTCOMES

 Explain the unique characteristics of

prokaryotes

 Classify prokaryotes into two domains:

 Bacteria
 Archaea

 Describe the diversity of bacteria based on

cell shapes, Gram-stain and position of
flagella
Differentiate the cellular and DNA
structures of prokaryotes and
eukaryotes.
 UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF
PROKARYOTES
• Unicellular prokaryotes

Genetic material (DNA)

• Single circular DNA

• In Bacteria, DNA does not associate

with histone protein
• In Archaea, some bacterial DNA
associates with histone protein
 UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF
PROKARYOTES
• Unicellular prokaryotes

Genetic material (DNA)

• has no nuclear envelope, DNA located in
nucleoid region

• Bacteria and Archaea have extra small

circular DNA called plasmid
 UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF
PROKARYOTES
Organelles
• Contain few organelles, which don’t have
membrane, e.g. ribosome

Reproduction
• Asexual: binary fission
• Sexual: conjugation
 UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF
PROKARYOTES
• Some bacteria become dormant in
unfavourable condition
 form endospore
(Archaea do not form endospores but produce
unique enzyme for protection)
 UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF
PROKARYOTES
• Great metabolic diversity (various modes of
nutrition) to make organic compound
MODE ENERGY CARBON EXAMPLE
SOURCE SOURCE
PHOTOAUTOTROPH Light CO2 Cyanobacteria
CHEMOAUTOTROPH Oxidation of CO2 Nitrifying
Inorganic bacteria, e.g.
material e.g. Nitrosomonas sp.,
H2S, NH3 Nitrococcus sp.
 UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF
PROKARYOTES

MODE ENERGY CARBON EXAMPLE

SOURCE SOURCE
PHOTOHETEROTROPH Light Organic Rhodobacter sp.
compound Rhodospirillum sp.

CHEMOHETEROTROPH Organic Organic Staphylococcus sp.

(saproptrophs or compound compound
pathogenic)
  PHOTOAUTOTROPH:
e.g. Cyanobacteria

 CHEMOHETEROTROPH
e.g. Nitrosomonas sp.

 CHEMOAUTOTROPH:
e.g. Staphylococcus sp.

 PHOTOHETEROTROPH:
e.g. Rhodobacter sp.
 UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF
PROKARYOTES
Presence of cell wall
• to maintain shape and provide protection
• Bacteria: cell wall composed of peptidoglycan
• Archaea: cell wall lack of peptidoglycan

Have capsules
• additional protection; resistant to host’s defense
• can cause diseases (pathogenic)

Have mesosomes
• tightly folded of plasma membrane
• site for cellular respiration
 UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF
PROKARYOTES
• Flagella
- contains flagellin protein
- for motility (propels in helical orientation)
 UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF
PROKARYOTES

Presence of fimbriae
• Enable prokaryotes to attach to one
another or to cell surfaces.

Present of pili
• Longer than fimbriae
• To assist conjugation (allow prokaryotes to
exchange DNA)
 GENERAL STRUCTURE OF PROKARYOTES

PILI
CAPSULE
CELL WALL
CHROMATOPHORE
PLASMA
MEMBRANE
NUCLEOID
MESOSOME
FIMBRIAE
CYTOPLASM

FLAGELLA
 CLASSIFICATION OF PROKARYOTES

2 domains:
1. Archaea
 e.g. Sulfolobus sp.

2. Bacteria
 e.g. E. coli , cyanobacteria (blue green
algae)
 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BACTERIA
AND ARCHAEA
BACTERIA ARCHAEA
Cell wall contains Cell wall lacks of
peptidoglycan peptidoglycan
In plasma membrane, In plasma membrane,
straight-chain fatty branched-chain
acids are linked to hydrocarbon are linked
glycerol by ester to glycerol by ether
linkage linkage
DNA is not associated DNA is associated with
with histone protein histone protein
Structure of lipids in plasma membrane
between Eubacteria and Archea
 Extra Info on Archaea
 Thermophiles – thrive at
60-800C
 Acidophiles – thrive at pH3
or below
 Xerophiles – grow in
extremely dry conditions
 Halophiles – require
extremely high
concentrations of salt
 DIVERSITY OF BACTERIA

Based on:
i. Cell shapes
ii. Gram-stain
iii. Position of flagella
 DIVERSITY OF BACTERIA: (i) SHAPE
Cell shape
Spherical Comma
i.e. coccus i.e. vibrio
Rod Spiral
i.e. bacillus i.e. spirillum
 1) Spherical
 Known as coccus (pl. cocci)
 Exist as unicellular, two-celled or colonies
(chain or cluster)
 Examples :

- Two celled - Chain - Cluster / clump

 Diplococcus sp.  Streptococcus sp.  Staphylococcus sp.
2) Rod-shape
 Known as bacillus (pl. bacilli)
 Exist as unicellular, colonies (chain)
 e.g. Bacillus thuringiensis, E. coli
3) Spiral
 Known as spirillum (pl. spirilla)
 Exist as unicellular
 e.g. Rhodospirillum sp.

4) Comma-shape
 @known as vibrio
 Exist as unicellular
 e.g. Vibrio cholerae
 DIVERSITY OF BACTERIA: (ii) GRAM
STAIN

Gram stain

Gram-positive Gram-negative
e.g. Lactobacillus sp. , e.g. E. coli ,
Clostridium sp. Azotobacter sp.,
Salmonella sp.
 DIVERSITY OF BACTERIA: (ii) GRAM
STAIN
• Gram Staining
– A tool for identifying specific bacteria,
based on the differences in their cell
wall
 GRAM- POSITIVE BACTERIA
 Have simpler cell wall
 Thick peptidoglycan layer
 Stained blue/purple – blue @ purple stain
trapped in the thick peptidoglycan layer
 Less pathogenic
 e.g. Bacillus sp., Clostridium sp.
1) Gram-positive bacteria :
 GRAM- NEGATIVE BACTERIA
 Have more complex cell wall
 Thin peptidoglycan layer
 Lipopolysaccharide in outer membrane of
the cell wall
 This lipopolysaccharides can be toxic
 GRAM- NEGATIVE BACTERIA

 The outer membrane protects the bacteria

from the host’s cell defense by preventing
the entry of antibiotics
 Stained pink – blue stain does not trap in
the thin peptidoglycanlayer
 More pathogenic, cause diseases like
typhoid, gonorrhea
 e.g. Salmonella sp. ,
E. coli ,
Azotobacter sp.
2) Gram-negative bacteria :
 DIVERSITY OF BACTERIA: (ii) GRAM
STAIN
Gram positive Gram negative
Cell wall has 1 layer : Cell wall has 2 layer : thin
thick peptidoglycans peptidoglycans and outer
membrane
Stain blue @ purple Stain pink colour // does
colour// retain purple not retain purple colour of
colour of crystal violet crystal violet

Less Pathogenic More Pathogenic

 DIVERSITY OF BACTERIA: (iii)
POSITION OF FLAGELLA

• Based on the flagella, bacteria is

divided into :

- Atrichous
- Monotrichous
- Amphitrichous
- Cephalotrichous
- Lophotrichous
- Petritichous
• The positions of the flagella give the bacteria
different names:
POSITION OF DESCRIPTION
FLAGELLA
Atrichous Absence of flagella
Monotrichous A single flagellum present at one
end
Amphitrichous One or tuft (cluster) flagella present
at both ends
Lophotrichous Many flagella in tuft (cluster) present
at one end
Peritrichous A number of flagella distributed all
over the surface of bacteria
DIVERSITY OF BACTERIA: (III)
POSITION OF FLAGELLA
 IMPORTANCE OF BACTERIA

i. Recycling of chemical elements in

ecosystem (nitrogen fixation)

• e.g. Rhizobium sp.

- Help in fixing of nitrogen from
atmosphere inside root nodules of
legume plants.
- Plant use nitrogen for synthesis of protein
and nucleic acid.
 IMPORTANCE OF BACTERIA
ii. Symbiotic (enterobacteria , e.g E. coli in
human intestine)
• E. coli helps to digest complex molecules
(lactose)

iii. Pathogenic
• Harmful bacteria cause various disease in
animal and plant
- e.g. Tetanus: Clostridium tetani
Cholera: Vibrio cholerae
Syphilis: Treponema pallidum
 IMPORTANCE OF BACTERIA
iv. In research and technology

 In food production
- e.g. cheeses, yoghurt and vinegar

 In biotechnology
- E. coli used in gene cloning
- Bioremediation (oil spill clean up using
bacteria)

 Medical research
- easily cultured
- e.g. for making antibiotics
 **CYANOBACTERIA (BLUE GREEN ALGAE)

• Single/colonial cell  filament form

• Thick-walled heterocyst
- contain nitrogenase to fix nitrogen
• Akinetes
- Climate-resistant spores that form when
environmental conditions become
unfavorable.
• Vegetative cell
- have genes that encode protein for
photosynthesis
• E.g: Nostoc sp. and Anabaena sp.
** EXTRA
CYANOBACTERIA (BLUE GREEN ALGAE)