Prokaryotes They’re almost everywhere

Prokaryotes were the first organism and persist today as the most numerous and pervasive of all living things.

Archaea and Bacteria are the two main branches of prokaryotic evolution. Prokaryotes account for two of three domains (super kingdoms) of life. Molecular systematics suggests that archaebacteria (domain Archaea) may be more closely related to eukaryotes (domain Eukarya) than to eubacteria (domain Bacteria).

Diverse Adaptations of Form and Function Prokaryotes are generally single celled organisms, although some occur as aggregates, colonies, or simple multi-cellular forms.

Diverse Adaptations of Form and Function Prokaryotes are generally single celled organisms, although some occur as aggregates, colonies, or simple multi- cellular forms. The three most common prokaryotic shapes are spherical (cocci), rod shaped (bacilli), and helical forms.

Diverse Adaptations of Form and Function Prokaryotes are generally single celled organisms, although some occur as aggregates, colonies, or simple multi-cellular forms. The three most common prokaryotic shapes are spherical (cocci), rod shaped (bacilli), and helical forms. Nearly all prokaryotes have external cell walls, which protect and shape the cell and prevent osmotic bursting. Cell walls of eubacteria typically contain the polymer peptidoglycan. Gram-positive and gram- negative bacteria differ in the structure of their walls and other surface layers.

ADAPTATIONS Many species secrete sticky substances that form capsules. Some have surface appendages called pili outside the cell wall. Both structures help the cells adhere to one another, and some pili are specialized for conjugation. Motile bacteria propel themselves by flagella, use flagella-like filaments positioned inside the cell wall (spirochetes) or glide on slime secretions. Prokaryotic cells are not compartmentalized by endomembranes. However, invaginations of the plasma membrane may provide internal membrane surface for specialized functions.

Domain Bacteria (Eubacteria) Domain Archaea (Archaebacteria) Domain Eukarya (Eukaryotes) Universal ancestor

A Comparison of the Three Domains of Life CharactaristicBacteriaArchaeaEukarya Nuclear Envelope Absent Present Membrabce- enclosed organelles Absent Present Peptidoglycan in cell wall PresentAbsent Membrane lipids Unbranched hydrocarbons Some branced hybrocarbons Unbranched hybrocarbons Domain

CharacteristicBacteriaArchaeaEukarya RNA polymerase One kindSeveral KindsSeveral kinds Initiator amino acid for start of protein synthesis Formyl- methionine Methionine Introns (noncoding parts of genes) AbsentPresent in some genes Present Antibiotic sensitivity Growth inhibites by streptomycin and chloramphenicol Not inhibited by these antibiotics

DNA The prokaryotic genome consists of a single circular DNA molecule in a nucleoid region unbounded by a membrane. Many species also possess smaller separate rings of DNA called plasmids, which code for special metabolic pathways and resistance to antibiotics.

REPRODUCTION Bacteria reproduce asexually. The type of cell division by which these prokaryotes reproduce is called binary fission. During binary fission, each dividing daughter cell receives a copy of the single parental chromosome.

VARIATION Genetic variation occurs in prokaryotes through mutation and gene transfer. All major types of nutrition and metabolism evolved among prokaryotes. The evolution of prokaryotic metabolism was both cause and effect of changing environments on Earth.

IMPACT TODAY Prokaryotes continue to have an enormous ecological impact. Prokaryotes, along with fungi, are decomposers that recycle chemical elements in ecosystems. Some prokaryotes live with other species in symbiotic relationships.

PROKARYOTES TODAY Some parasitic prokaryotes are pathogenic, causing disease in the host. Bacteria have been put to work in laboratories, sewage treatment plants, and the food and drug industry.

EUKARYOTES Eukaryotes originated by symbiosis among prokaryotes. The first eukaryotes to evolve from prokaryotic ancestors were probably unicellular. The primal eukaryotes were ancestral to plants, fungi, and animals, the eukaryotic organisms most familiar to us.

PROCESS I INVAGINATION OF THE PLASMA MEMBRANE. The nuclear envelope, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, and related structures, may have evolved from specialized invaginations (infoldings) of the prokaryotic plasma membrane.

PROCESS II ENDOSYMBIOSIS-Dr. Lynn Margulis of the University of Massachusetts Eukaryotic cell arose as a result of prokaryotes taking up residence inside other prokaryotes. The term endosymbiont is used for a cell that lives within another cell, termed the host cell.