Bacteria Web Quest! ***Don’t forget to click on the animations when available!**

Bacteria Cells:

  1. How is bacteria a part of recycling and biodegrading? ______
  2. What are the five basic parts of bacteria? ______
  3. Draw the basic appearance of all bacteria:

Bacteria and Viruses:

  1. How many cells do bacteria have? ______
  2. Describe and draw an example of the three shapes of bacteria:
  3. Cocci: ______
  4. Bacilli: ______
  5. Spirilla: ______
  6. What are two ways bacteria can get food? ______
  7. What is the process called when bacteria divide into two cells? ______
  8. Watch the animation of the process and draw the steps it goes through as it divides.

Bacteria Divide and Multiply:

  1. How long would it take for 2 bacteria cells to divide and turn into 4 bacteria cells? ______
  2. How come our planet is not covered with bacteria? ______

2 Kingdoms of Bacteria:

  1. Compare Archaebacteria and Eubacteria.

Archaebacteria / Eubacteria
  1. What kind of substances do bacteria consume to get energy? ______
  2. What is the process of making energy from food using oxygen? ______

Bacterial Reproduction:


(watch the animation - you’ll need sound!)

  1. How do bacteria reproduce, describe the process.
  2. How can one slow the reproductive process of bacteria?
  3. Why are bacteria considered ubiquitous? (you might have to look up what ubiquitous means!)

Bacterial Structure:

Label the parts of the bacterium: flagella, pilli, nucleoid (DNA), ribosomes, cell membrane, cell wall, capsule


Please visit the following website:

Using the Venn Diagram below, list at least 2 features unique to Prokaryotes, 2 features unique to Eukaryotes and 2 features that they both share.

Bacterial Sexual Reproduction:


  1. Genetic recombination occurs in bacteria. What is conjugation or “bacterial sex?”
  1. Draw the process of conjugationlabeling the terms pili, sex plasmid, conjugation bridge, “male” and “female.”
  1. How is transduction different? (I.e. what is involved with the genetic exchange?)
  1. What is bacterial transformation? How has it been used in recent years?
  1. What is the importance of bacterial exchange or sex in nature?

Environmental Issues:

  1. What are pathogenic bacteria?
  2. What do aerobic bacteria require?
  3. Where do anaerobic bacteria live and what can they cause?
  4. How do facultative anaerobic bacteria differ from the other two?
  1. What is decomposition and how do bacteria play a role in the environment?
  2. What is nitrogen fixation and why are bacteria crucial to this cycle of life?
  1. What is denitrifying bacteria and why are they harmful to crops?

Antibiotics:


  1. What is penicillin? How does it work?
  2. What is a plasmid? How does this allow for antibiotic resistance?
  3. How can some strains of bacteria, like anthrax, survive harsh, unfavorable conditions?

Gram Staining:

  1. What is a gram stain?
  2. What’s the difference between a gram positive and a gram negative bacterial cell?

Bacterial Prefixes:
1. What do the prefixes diplo-, strepto- and staphylo- relate to when dealing with bacteria?