Microbe Mission B/C

[fanjiatian]

@Gillen
At my Regional competition, they started with growth curves, interpretation, definitions and microbial growth
Then, they had a few questions on finding High Field diameter given the low field diameter, low power magnification, and high power magnification. After that, they had a moderate amount of questions
about which microscope you would use to do a specific task. They had quite a few questions on the parts of microbes. E.g do all (insert microbe), some (insert microbe), or no (insert microbe) contain (insert organelle)?
One part had a few questions microbes and food production (what microbe, what process)
The rest of the test was about diseases; what microbe causes which, what body system is affected, and method of infection
Strangely enough, there were no microscopes. I took the test inside a computer lab.....

[srsvball95]

Has anyone had a lot of diseases on the tests so far? Ive taken two so far at invitationals, but they haven't had a ton. I'm thinking of putting diseases only on my sheet and memorizing the rest.

On all the tests I've taken, we've just had to match the disease to the agent that causes it. But symptoms, transmission, etc. could be put on the tests.

To actually answer the question- diseases aren't a main part of this event. I would know everything on the rules manual, even if you don't go in depth on each topic.

[Witchy]

Alright, so I'm having a really hard time finding any good algae schematics. Can someone fill me in on the basics of algal biology?

[awsomtomato]

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algae <-- This is really easy to understand. The Wikipedia page on algae is very helpful too.
Algae is a symbiotic relationship between fungi and bacteria...

[fanjiatian]

@awsometomatao
? Algae are simple unicellular or multicellular eukaryotic organisms that are photoautotrophic.
How are they a symbiotic relationship between fungi and bacteria?
@Witchy
Algae reproduce asexually or sexually.
They are either motile or nonmotile.
Algae often form symbiotic relationships with other microorganisms.
As primary producers, they have a role in ecology . They serve to produce much of the planet's oxygen, aquatic food, and they also provide a significant source of iodine and protein for many human societies. However, they can be harmful if there are too many nutrients because they can cause "blooms" and deprive other organisms of nutrients.
The main types of algae are chrysophytes, diatoms, dinoflagellates, red algae, brown algae, and green algae.
You might want to observe and draw these under a microscope
To be honest, there isn't a whole lot to know about algae.
IMO, there's more stuff to know about viruses, the species of protozoa, fungi, and eubacteria.

[ophiophagus]

That basically summed algae up, but remember, some algae can be heterotrophs (just not common). Also keep in mind that diseases like paralytic shellfish poisoning are caused by algae.

[awsomtomato]

@fanjiatian- Oops, I seem to have mixed up algae and lichen. Sorry for any trouble this has caused...

[ccluvit]

what's the difference between a compund and a simple light microscope?

[awsomtomato]

what's the difference between a compund and a simple light microscope?

They're different in quality. For example, a light microscope would use sunlight as its source of power,and therefore less effective. Compound microscope use electricity as its source of power for the same usage, which would be stronger and better to see the details in the specimen. A simple microscope has one lens, but the compound microscope has several more lenses to look at things. basically a compound microscope is used for looking at cells very carefully and in a different way.

[tclme elmo]

For treatment/prevention of each disease, which herpes are we talking about? Genital or Non-genital?