Classify the major groups of microorganisms and understand their basic characteristics.
Define microorganisms and their categories.
Microorganisms (or microbes) are living things so incredibly small that they cannot be seen with the naked eye. To explore this hidden world, we need a microscope that magnifies objects 100 to 400 times.
Visual chart of microbe types.
Four major categories of microbes: Protozoa with Amoeba and Paramecium, Algae with green cell, Fungi with Bread mould sporangia, and Bacteria with rod, spiral, and spherical shapes.
Learn key terms for microbes.
Match the microbe to its description.
Terms
Definitions
Diagram of a virus.
Viruses are considered a special case because they are completely acellular (not made of cells).
Unlike bacteria or fungi, viruses cannot reproduce on their own. They multiply only when they enter a living host cell, such as a plant, animal, or bacterium!
Test virus knowledge.
Viruses are unique microscopic entities that are completely . Unlike other microorganisms, they cannot reproduce on their own in the environment. Instead, they only multiply when they enter a living . This means they rely entirely on a organism to survive and carry out their replication process. Once inside, viruses have the potential to infect plants, animals, or even cells. Because of this behavior, they may cause a in the organism they infect.