A | B |
stromatolite | dome-shaped rock composed of thin layers of sediment pressed tightly together |
archaea | domain of prokaryotic organisms that are biochemically and genetically distinct from bacteria |
bacteria | domain of prokaryotic organisms that are biochemically and genetically distinct from archaea |
coccus | a spherical bacterium |
bacillus | a rod-shaped bacterium |
spirochete | member of a group of animals that lack true tissues and organs |
binary fission | mode of prokaryote asexual reproduction in which each daughter cell receives an identical copy of the parent cell's chromosome |
endospore | dormant cell formed by certain bacteria that can survive very harsh conditions |
cyanobacteria | group of prokaryotes that generate oxygen as a waste product of their photosynthesis |
bioremediation | use of organisms to remove pollutants from water, air and soil |
pathogen | a disease-casuing organism |
lytic cycle | a viral reproductive cycle in which copies of a virus are made within a host cell, which then bursts open, releasing new viruses |
lysogenic cycle | a viral reproductive cycle in which the viral DNA is added to the host cell's DNA and is copied along with the host cell's DNA |
retrovirus | member of a group of viruses such as HIV that carry reverse transcriptase, which catalyzes the synthesis of DNA from an RNA template |
vaccine | dose of a disabled or destroyed pathogen (or part of a pathogen) used to stimulate a long-term immune defense against the pathogen |