Imagine you are on a team designing a moon base that will be self-contained and self-sustaining. Once supplied with building materials, equipment, and organisms from Earth, the base will be expected to function indefinitely. One of the team members has suggested that everything sent to the base be sterilized so that no bacteria of any kind are present. Do you think this is a good idea? Predict some of the consequences of eliminating all bacteria from an environment.

Cyanide (C≡N−) blocks complex IV of the electron transport chain. Suggest a hypothesis for what happens to the ETC when complex IV stops working. Your hypothesis should explain why cyanide poisoning in humans is fatal.

Suppose that you've been hired by a firm interested in using bacteria to clean up organic solvents found in toxic waste dumps. Your new employer is particularly interested in finding cells that are capable of breaking a molecule called benzene into less-toxic compounds. Where would you go to look for bacteria that can metabolize benzene as an energy or carbon source? How would you design an enrichment culture capable of isolating benzene-metabolizing species?

Which of the following experiments could test the hypothesis that bacteria cause ulcers in humans? (Assume each experiment includes a control group.) Explain what evidence would be provided by the results of the experiment.a. Identify the microbes found in the stomachs of ulcer patients.b. Treat a group of ulcer patients with antibiotics.c. Place a group of ulcer patients on a strict low-acid diet.d. Obtain stomach fluid from ulcer patents and feed it to mice.

SCIENTIFIC THINKING Probiotics, foods and supplements that contain living microorganisms, are thought to cure problems of the digestive tract by restoring the natural balance of its microbial community. Sales of these products total billions of dollars a year. Explore the topic of probiotics and evaluate the scientific evidence for their beneficial effects. A good starting point is the website of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which regulates advertising claims of health benefits of dietary supplements. U.S. Food and Drug Administration website, www.fda.gov/food/dietary-supplements.

Organisms that use light for their energy source and CO₂ for their carbon source are called __________.

In an experiment, a microbiologist put equal numbers of each of the following organisms into a flask of sterile broth, consisting mostly of sugar and a few amino acids. She then placed the flask in the dark. Which of the organisms would be most likely to survive?

The Desulfovibrio bacterium breaks down organic matter (which it must have) and uses sulfate (not oxygen) as an electron acceptor. As a result, it produces hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), accounting for the "rotten egg" smell of swamp muck. Oxygen is a deadly poison to Desulfovibrio. We would call Desulfovibrio a(n) __________.

Choose the list below that contains the substances required by typical nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria.