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Ch. 10 - Classification of Microorganisms
Tortora - Microbiology: An Introduction 14th Edition
Tortora14th EditionMicrobiology: An IntroductionISBN: 9780138200398Not the one you use?Change textbook
All textbooksTortora 14th EditionCh. 10 - Classification of MicroorganismsProblem 7
Chapter 10, Problem 7

Use the following choices to answer questions 7 and 8.
a. Animalia
b. Fungi
c. Plantae
d. Bacillota (gram-positive bacteria)
e. Pseudomonadota (gram-negative bacteria)
Into which group would you place a multicellular organism that has a mouth and lives inside the human liver?

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1
Identify the key characteristics of the organism described: it is multicellular, has a mouth, and lives inside the human liver.
Recall that multicellular organisms with mouths are typically animals, as they have complex body structures including digestive openings.
Consider the habitat: living inside the human liver suggests a parasitic or symbiotic relationship, which is common among certain animals (e.g., parasitic worms).
Review the provided groups and their general characteristics: Animalia includes multicellular organisms with mouths; Fungi and Plantae do not have mouths; Bacillota and Pseudomonadota are bacteria and unicellular.
Conclude that the organism fits best into the group Animalia based on its multicellularity, presence of a mouth, and habitat inside a human organ.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Taxonomic Classification of Organisms

Taxonomy is the science of classifying organisms into hierarchical groups based on shared characteristics. Understanding the major kingdoms such as Animalia, Fungi, and Plantae helps in identifying where an organism fits based on traits like cellular structure, multicellularity, and mode of nutrition.
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Characteristics of Multicellular Animals

Multicellular animals typically have specialized tissues and organs, including a mouth for ingestion. Recognizing these features helps distinguish animals from other groups like fungi or plants, which lack a mouth and have different modes of nutrient acquisition.
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Parasitism and Host Interaction

Parasitic organisms live inside or on a host, often causing harm. Knowing that some multicellular animals can be parasites, such as those inhabiting human organs like the liver, aids in correctly classifying the organism based on its ecological role and habitat.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question

Use the following choices to answer questions 7 and 8.

a. Animalia

b. Fungi

c. Plantae

d. Bacillota (gram-positive bacteria)

e. Pseudomonadota (gram-negative bacteria)

Into which group would you place a photosynthetic organism that lacks a nucleus and has a thin peptidoglycan wall surrounded by an outer membrane?

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Textbook Question

The wall-less mycoplasmas are considered to be related to gram-positive bacteria. Which of the following would provide the most compelling evidence for this?

a. They share common rRNA sequences.

b. Some gram-positive bacteria and some mycoplasmas produce catalase.

c. Both groups are prokaryotic.

d. Some gram-positive bacteria and some mycoplasmas have coccus-shaped cells.

e. Both groups contain human pathogens.

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Textbook Question

Use the key in the Clinical Focus box to identify the gram-negative, oxidase-positive rod causing pneumonia in a sea otter. It is H2S-positive, indole-negative, and urease-positive.

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Textbook Question

You could identify an unknown bacterium by all of the following except

a. hybridizing a DNA probe from a known bacterium with the unknown’s DNA.

b. making a fatty acid profile of the unknown.

c. specific antiserum agglutinating the unknown.

d. ribosomal RNA sequencing.

e. percentage of guanine + cytosine.

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Textbook Question

Use the following choices to answer questions 9 and 10.

1. 9 + 2 flagella

2. 70s ribosome

3. fimbria

4. nucleus

5. peptidoglycan

6. plasma membrane

Which is (are) found in all three domains?

a. 2,6

b. 5

c. 2,4,6

d. 1,3,5

e. all six

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Textbook Question

Use the information in the following table to complete the dichotomous key to these organisms. What is the purpose of a dichotomous key? Look up each genus in Chapter 11, and provide an example of why this organism is of interest to humans.

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