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- DictionaryBac·te·ri·um/bakˈtirēəm/
noun
- 1. a member of a large group of unicellular microorganisms which have cell walls but lack organelles and an organized nucleus, including some that can cause disease.
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What does bacteria mean?
Why is bacteria called a bacterium?
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Bacteria (/ b æ k ˈ t ɪər i ə / ⓘ; sg.: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among the first life forms to appear on Earth, and are present in most of its habitats.
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Bacteria are microscopic single-celled organisms that lack a distinct nucleus and can cause diseases or be beneficial. Learn how to use bacteria as a singular or plural noun, see examples, and explore related words and articles.
Bacteria definition: ubiquitous one-celled organisms, spherical, spiral, or rod-shaped and appearing singly or in chains, comprising numerous and variously classified phyla. See examples of BACTERIA used in a sentence.
- Overview
- Bacteria as prokaryotes
bacteria, any of a group of microscopic single-celled organisms that live in enormous numbers in almost every environment on Earth, from deep-sea vents to deep below Earth’s surface to the digestive tracts of humans.
Bacteria lack a membrane-bound nucleus and other internal structures and are therefore ranked among the unicellular life-forms called prokaryotes. Prokaryotes are the dominant living creatures on Earth, having been present for perhaps three-quarters of Earth history and having adapted to almost all available ecological habitats. As a group, they display exceedingly diverse metabolic capabilities and can use almost any organic compound, and some inorganic compounds, as a food source. Some bacteria can cause diseases in humans, animals, or plants, but most are harmless and are beneficial ecological agents whose metabolic activities sustain higher life-forms. Other bacteria are symbionts of plants and invertebrates, where they carry out important functions for the host, such as nitrogen fixation and cellulose degradation. Without prokaryotes, soil would not be fertile, and dead organic material would decay much more slowly. Some bacteria are widely used in the preparation of foods, chemicals, and antibiotics. Studies of the relationships between different groups of bacteria continue to yield new insights into the origin of life on Earth and mechanisms of evolution.
All living organisms on Earth are made up of one of two basic types of cells: eukaryotic cells, in which the genetic material is enclosed within a nuclear membrane, or prokaryotic cells, in which the genetic material is not separated from the rest of the cell. Traditionally, all prokaryotic cells were called bacteria and were classified in the prokaryotic kingdom Monera. However, their classification as Monera, equivalent in taxonomy to the other kingdoms—Plantae, Animalia, Fungi, and Protista—understated the remarkable genetic and metabolic diversity exhibited by prokaryotic cells relative to eukaryotic cells. In the late 1970s American microbiologist Carl Woese pioneered a major change in classification by placing all organisms into three domains—Eukarya, Bacteria (originally called Eubacteria), and Archaea (originally called Archaebacteria)—to reflect the three ancient lines of evolution. The prokaryotic organisms that were formerly known as bacteria were then divided into two of these domains, Bacteria and Archaea. Bacteria and Archaea are superficially similar; for example, they do not have intracellular organelles, and they have circular DNA. However, they are fundamentally distinct, and their separation is based on the genetic evidence for their ancient and separate evolutionary lineages, as well as fundamental differences in their chemistry and physiology. Members of these two prokaryotic domains are as different from one another as they are from eukaryotic cells.
Prokaryotic cells (i.e., Bacteria and Archaea) are fundamentally different from the eukaryotic cells that constitute other forms of life. Prokaryotic cells are defined by a much simpler design than is found in eukaryotic cells. The most-apparent simplification is the lack of intracellular organelles, which are features characteristic of eukaryotic cells. Organelles are discrete membrane-enclosed structures that are contained in the cytoplasm and include the nucleus, where genetic information is retained, copied, and expressed; the mitochondria and chloroplasts, where chemical or light energy is converted into metabolic energy; the lysosome, where ingested proteins are digested and other nutrients are made available; and the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi apparatus, where the proteins that are synthesized by and released from the cell are assembled, modified, and exported. All of the activities performed by organelles also take place in bacteria, but they are not carried out by specialized structures. In addition, prokaryotic cells are usually much smaller than eukaryotic cells. The small size, simple design, and broad metabolic capabilities of bacteria allow them to grow and divide very rapidly and to inhabit and flourish in almost any environment.
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Bacteria are very small organisms that are found everywhere and are the cause of many diseases. Learn more about the plural of bacterium, the types of bacteria, and the collocations with bacteria from Cambridge Dictionary.
Oct 4, 2019 · Bacteria are single-celled organisms with prokaryotic cells that lack organelles and a true nucleus. They are extremely diverse and abundant, and can be classified into different shapes, types, and staining patterns.
Learn the meaning of bacteria as a plural of bacterium or a type of very small organism that causes diseases. Find out how to use bacteria in sentences with common collocations and translations.
