Straighterline Microbiology Lab BIO250L Lab 3 Structure & Microscopy Worksheet 2023

Student Name: Access Code (located on the underside of the lid of your lab kit): Pre-Lab Questions 1. What determines if a bacterial cell is Gram-positive or Gram-negative? Gram-negative bacterium have both a thin and an outer membrane layer, in contrast to Gram-positive bacteria, which have a dense peptidoglycan layer but no outside membrane. 2. In this lab, both viruses and prions were introduced as acellular organisms. Do some research and describe one other type of acellular organism. What characteristics about this organism classify it as acellular? Viroids are circular RNA, single-stranded molecules that are very small, one-celled creatures. Since they have been linked to plant conditions, they are considered to be pathogenic. They are acellular and only have a single circle RNA strand that replicates itself.