EBK BIOLOGY TODAY AND TOMORROW WITHOUT
EBK BIOLOGY TODAY AND TOMORROW WITHOUT
5th Edition
ISBN: 9781305724747
Author: STARR
Publisher: CENGAGE LEARNING - CONSIGNMENT
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Chapter 4, Problem 1DID

The genus Ferroplasma consists of a few species of acid-loving archaea. One species, F. acidarmanus, was discovered to be the main component of slime streamers (a type of biofilm) deep inside an abandoned California copper mine (Figure 4.11A).

F. acidarmanus cells use an ancient energy-harvesting pathway that combines oxygen with iron–sulfur compounds in minerals such as pyrite. This reaction dissolves the minerals, so groundwater that seeps into the mine ends up with extremely high concentrations of metal ions such as copper, zinc, cadmium, and arsenic. The reaction also produces sulfuric acid, which lowers the pH of the water around the cells to zero.

Despite living in an environment with a composition similar to hot battery acid, F. acidarmanus cells maintain their internal pH at a cozy 5.0. Thus, researchers investigating Ferroplasma metabolic enzymes were surprised to discover that most of the cells’ enzymes function best at very low pH (Figure 4.11B).

Chapter 4, Problem 1DID, The genus Ferroplasma consists of a few species of acid-loving archaea. One species, F. acidarmanus, , example  1

A. Deep inside one of the most toxic sites in the United States: Iron Mountain Mine, in California. The water in this stream, which is about 1 meter (3 feet) wide in this photo, is hot (around 40°C, or 104°F), heavily laden with arsenic and other toxic metals, and has a pH of zero. Slime streamers growing in it are a biofilm dominated by a species of archaea, Ferroplasma acidarmanus.

Chapter 4, Problem 1DID, The genus Ferroplasma consists of a few species of acid-loving archaea. One species, F. acidarmanus, , example  2

B. pH profiles of four enzymes isolated from F. acidarmus. Researchers had expected these enzymes to function best at the cells’ cytoplasmic pH (5.0).

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Students have asked these similar questions
a)  bacteria are “obligate anaerobes.” What does this mean? On Earth, where might these organisms live? (Give examples.) b) Humans (and most Eukaryotic organisms) are obligate aerobes. What does this mean? On Earth, where might these organisms live? (Give examples.)
Explain osmotic balance in cells. What happens to a cell that is placed in a hypotonic solution, hypertonic solution, or isotonic solution? What is special about the maintenance of osmotic balance in halophiles that would allow them to survive in high salt concentrations? What is the natural habitat of archaea species Halobacterium salinarum?
Which of these statements is/are TRUE? A) In general, species that can grow at higher temperatures are prokaryotic. B) The most thermophilic prokaryotes are species of Archaea. C) Chemoorganotrophic organisms are able to grow at higher temperatures than phototrophic organisms. D) All of the statements are true.
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