Microbial Communities Quiz

What is the term used to describe the list of organism names, their phylogenetic relationships, and abundance in an environment?

• Ecosystem dynamics

• Microbial interactions

• Community structure

• Microbial ecology

Which of the following is a type of microbial interaction that involves the regulation of gene expression in response to cell-population density?

• Transformation

• Quorum sensing

• Conjugation

• Transduction

What is the primary method used to identify cultivated microbes traditionally?

• PCR amplification

• Biochemical tests

• Microscopy

• DNA sequencing

Which index is commonly used to measure species richness in a community?

• Chao1 index

• Shannon index

• Evenness index

• Simpson index

What term describes organisms with 16S rRNA genes that are ≥97% similar?

• Operational taxonomic unit (OTU)

• Phylotype

• Clade

• Ecotype

Which of the following is NOT a method of genetic exchange among microbial species?

• Conjugation

• Transformation

• Transduction

• Isolation

What is the main reason for the high diversity of bacterial communities in soils compared to aquatic habitats?

• Higher nutrient availability

• Greater spatial complexity

• Lower competition

• Higher temperatures

Which phylum of bacteria is commonly found in both freshwaters and soils but less so in oceans?

• Proteobacteria

• Actinobacteria

• Firmicutes

• Bacteroidetes

What is the term for the collection of rare OTUs in a microbial community?

• Diversity index

• Genetic pool

• Microbial reservoir

• Rare biosphere

Which of the following is a common approach used in modern microbial community studies?

• High throughput sequencing

• Microscopic examination

• Traditional cultivation

• Clone libraries