| A | B |
|---|
| Pathogen | An 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 nunfunctional 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 |
