| A | B |
|---|
| pathogen | organism that causes disease |
| saprophyte | An organism that feeds on dead matter |
| parasite | An organism that feeds on a living host |
| aerobic organism | An organism that requires oxygen |
| anaerobic organism | An organism that does not require oxygen |
| steady state | A state in which members of a population die as quickly as new members are born |
| exponential growth | Population growth that is unhindered because of the abundance of resources for an ever-increasing population. |
| logistic growth | Population growth that is controlled by limited resources. |
| conjugation | A temporary union of two organisms for the purpose of DNA transfer |
| plasmid | A small, circular section of extra DNA that confers one or more traits to a bacterium and can be reproduced separately from the main bacterial genetic code. |
| transformation | The transfer of a DNA segment from a nonfunctional donor cell to that of a functional recipient cell |
| transduction | The process in which infection by a virus results in DNA being transferred from one bacterium to another |
| endospore | The DNA and other essential parts of a bacterium coated with several hard layers |
| strains | Organisms from the same species that have markedly different traits |
