"Microbial metabolism is the means by which a microbe obtains the energy and nutrients (e.g. carbon) it needs to live and reproduce."
A detailed study of the biochemical pathways by which microorganisms produce energy and synthesize macromolecules from nutrients.
Introduction to Microbial Metabolism: Understand the basics of microbial metabolism; anabolism and catabolism, metabolism regulation, and energy generation pathways.
Carbohydrate Metabolism: Learn about Gluconeogenesis, Glycolysis, and the Pentose-phosphate pathways.
Lipid Metabolism: Study Fatty Acid Oxidation, Glyoxylate Cycle, and Ketone Body.
Amino Acid Metabolism: Know about Protein Catabolism, Transamination & Deamination, and Urea Cycle.
Nucleotide Metabolism: Understand Purine and Pyrimidine biosynthesis and breakdown pathways.
Enzymology: Get familiarized with the structure of enzymes, specificity, enzyme kinetics, and the enzyme-catalyzed reaction mechanism.
Photosynthesis: Grasp the essential principles of photosynthesis in various microorganisms involving chlorophylls and bacteriochlorophylls.
Energy Generation by Microbes: Learn how microbes utilize anaerobic and aerobic pathways to produce ATP.
Fermentations: Understand the metabolic pathway and microbial involvement in producing alcoholic beverages, wine, milk products, and other fermented food items.
Metabolic Pathway Regulation: Learn the various mechanisms used by microbes to regulate their metabolic pathways, including feedback inhibition, covalent modification, and allosteric regulation.
Electron Transport Chain: Understand the crucial role of the electron transport chain in generating ATP in bacteria and other microorganisms.
Metabolic Diversity of Microbes: Study the differences in microbial metabolism among different groups of microorganisms, including bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotic microorganisms.
Metabolism in Extreme Environments: Discover how microbes metabolize in extreme environments like deep-sea vents, soda lakes, and high-pressure conditions.
Metabolism and Disease: Know how the altered metabolic pathway in pathogenic microorganisms can lead to the development of diseases and how microbial metabolism can be targeted for the development of antimicrobial drugs.
Bioremediation: Learn how microbes can clean up polluted environments by utilizing various metabolic pathways.
Aerobic respiration: The process in which microorganisms use oxygen to break down sugars to obtain energy.
Anaerobic respiration: The process in which microorganisms use substances other than oxygen to break down sugars to obtain energy.
Fermentation: The process in which microorganisms use organic compounds to generate ATP without the use of oxygen.
Photoautotrophy: The process in which microorganisms use light energy to produce organic compounds from inorganic substances.
Chemoautotrophy: The process in which microorganisms use inorganic substances as a source of energy to produce organic compounds.
Heterotrophy: The process in which microorganisms obtain energy by breaking down organic compounds.
Methanogenesis: The process in which microorganisms produce methane gas by breaking down organic compounds.
Nitrogen fixation: The process in which microorganisms convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia compounds that can be used by plants.
Sulfur oxidation: The process in which microorganisms oxidize sulfur compounds to obtain energy.
Denitrification: The process in which microorganisms convert nitrates into nitrogen gas, which is then released into the atmosphere.
"Species can often be differentiated from each other based on metabolic characteristics."
"A microbe obtains the energy and nutrients it needs to live and reproduce."
"The specific metabolic properties of a microbe are the major factors in determining that microbe's ecological niche."
"Microbes use many different types of metabolic strategies."
"That microbe to be useful in industrial processes."
"Microbes...allow for that microbe to be responsible for biogeochemical cycles."
"The specific metabolic properties of a microbe are the major factors in determining that microbe's ecological niche, and often allow for that microbe to be useful in industrial processes or responsible for biogeochemical cycles." Additional questions not directly answered in the paragraph: