CHAPTER 11

11.2: DOMAIN BACTERIA AND DOMAIN ARCHAEA

11.2: DOMAIN BACTERIA AND DOMAIN ARCHAEA
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:
1. Explain the unique characteristics of prokaryotes

2. Classify prokaryotes into two domains:

• Domain Bacteria
• Domain Archaea

3. Describe the diversity of bacteria based on

cell shapes, Gram-stain and position of flagella
 UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF PROKARYOTES
• Unicellular prokaryotes

• Genetic material (DNA)

• Has single circular DNA but,
• In Bacteria, DNA does not associate with
histone protein
• In Archaea, some bacterial DNA
associates with histone protein

• has no nuclear envelope, DNA located in

nucleoid region

• Bacteria and Archaea have extra small

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

• Reproduction
 Asexual reproduction : binary fission
 Sexual reproduction : conjugation
 UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF PROKARYOTES
• Some bacteria become dormant in
unfavourable condition forming 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 CO2 Nitrifying

of inorganic bacteria, e.g.
material Nitrosomonas sp.,
e.g. H2S, Nitrococcus sp.
NH3
 UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF PROKARYOTES

MODE ENERGY CARBON EXAMPLE

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

CHEMOHETEROTROPH Organic Organic Staphylococcus sp.

(saprotrophs or compound compound
pathogenic)
 UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF PROKARYOTES
Presence of cell wall
• to maintain shape and provide protection
• Bacteria: cell wall composed of peptidoglycan
• Archaea: cell wall contain protein and
polysaccharide

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
PLASMA
MEMBRANE
NUCLEOID
MESOSOME
FIMBRIAE
CYTOPLASM

FLAGELLA
 CLASSIFICATION OF PROKARYOTES
Two domains:
1. Domain Archaea
 e.g. Sulfolobus sp.

2. Domain Bacteria
 e.g. Escherichia coli , cyanobacteria (blue
green algae)
 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BACTERIA AND
ARCHAEA

BACTERIA ARCHAEA
Cell wall contains Cell wall contain protein
peptidoglycan and polysaccharides
In membrane lipids, In membrane lipids,
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 in some
species
Structure of lipids in plasma membrane
between Bacteria and Archea
 Extra info on Archaea

 Thermophiles – thrive at
60-800C
 Acidophiles – thrive at ≤pH3
 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
 DIVERSITY OF BACTERIA: (I) SHAPE
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.
 DIVERSITY OF BACTERIA: (I) SHAPE
2) Rod-shape
 Known as bacillus (pl. bacilli)
 Exist as unicellular, colonies (chain)
 e.g. Bacillus thuringiensis, E. coli

E. coli on spinach. (SEM x4000)

 DIVERSITY OF BACTERIA: (I) SHAPE
3) Spiral
 Known as spirillum (pl. spirilla)
 Exist as unicellular
 e.g. Rhodospirillum sp.
Rhodospirillum rubrum,
a nitrogren fixing bacterium.
Magnification:3000x.

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

Gram stain

Gram-positive bacteria Gram-negative bacteria

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.
 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 peptidoglycan layer

 More pathogenic, cause diseases like typhoid,

gonorrhea

 e.g. Salmonella sp.,

E. coli,
Azotobacter sp.
Gram-positive bacteria Gram-negative bacteria
Gram-positive bacteria 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 crystal violet
violet
Less pathogenic More pathogenic
 DIVERSITY OF BACTERIA: (III) POSITION OF
FLAGELLA

• Based on the flagella, bacteria is divided into :

- Atrichous
- Monotrichous
- Amphitrichous
- Lophotrichous
- Petritichous
 DIVERSITY OF BACTERIA: (III) POSITION OF FLAGELLA
• 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. coli helps to digest complex molecules
(lactose)

Image of E. coli in human intestine

(source: Newcastle University)
 IMPORTANCE OF BACTERIA
iii. Pathogenic
• Harmful bacteria cause various disease in
animal and plant
- e.g. Tetanus: Clostridium tetani
Cholera: Vibrio cholerae
Syphilis: Treponema pallidum

Tetanus Cholera
 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)
 IMPORTANCE OF BACTERIA
iv. In research and technology
 Medical research
- easily cultured
- e.g. for making antibiotics

Antibiotic resistance
**Extra: 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)