BIOL 2051 Chapter : MicroBio 2
Document Summary
In library on first floor at reserve desk: Microbiology: an evolving science- call number is rx52. Smaller than eukaryotes (fig 2. 4: small size allows nutrients to reach all parts of cell quickly and remove quickly, prokaryotic cells can be as small as 0. 2 m. The smallest eukaryotic cells are 2 m: cocci (spherical) - typically have diameter of 2 m. Thiomargarita namibiensis is the largest about 750 um: some microbiologists have proposed that bacteria smaller than 0. 2 m exist in nature, cells referred to as nanobacteria. If one considers the space needed to house all essential molecules of life, it is unlikely they could exist within a volume available in a cell less than 0. 1 m. Almost impossible to fit in such a small place: prokaryotic cells can have a wide variety of cellular morphologies which are often helpful in identification.
