Bacterial Morphology
The bacteria are prokaryotic organisms that are single-celled, and are found to exist as free-living and possess a microscopic size. The morphology is found to vary in the bacteria, where some of them are identified as individual organisms and the others are detected as colonies. The size and shape of the bacterial cell also represent its morphology.
Bacterial cell structure
Bacteria are single-celled, tiny creatures that may enter healthy tissues and grow rapidly. Bacteria are microscopic organisms that are tiny and unicellular. These are members of the prokaryote kingdom. They live in water, air, soil, and all-natural environments. They are used in industrial and therapeutic processes, and they support a wide range of plant and animal life. The first organism to appear on the planet. Bacteria-like creatures are the oldest known fossils. Bacteria can consume a wide range of organic and inorganic elements, and some may even survive in harsh conditions.
In the diagram below, identify the structures of a cyanobacterial cell based on the following descriptions:
a) Outer cellular covering which includes:
- Mucilaginous layer – outermost layer covering the cell wall; protects the cell from harmful factors of the environment
- Cell wall – found just below the mucilaginous layer; 2 or 3-layered, the inner layer lies in between the outer wall layer and plasma membrane; the outer layer is made of peptidoglycan
- Innermost plasma membrane – selectively permeable membrane enclosing the cytoplasm
b) Cytoplasm – found below the plasma membrane; the protoplasm which contains structures of different shapes and functions. Lamellae, which contain pigments such as chlorophylls, carotenes, xanthophylls, phycoerythrin and phycocyanin, are located in the peripheral region of cytoplasm. Ribosomes may also be found scattered in the cytoplasm.
c) Nucleic material – the nucleoplasm that is centrally located in the cell and contains chromatin in the form of crystalline granules. There is no nuclear envelope and no nucleolus.
Step by step
Solved in 2 steps with 1 images
