BIO153 Winter 2025 Term Test 2 ANSWR KEY

Instructor: Ichiro Inamoto

Date: March 13, 2025

Loca9on: IB110, during regular lecture hours
Dura9on: 40 minutes
Test weight: 12 % of Final Grade

IMPORTANT: Once this test has begun, you CANNOT re-write it.

INSTRUCTIONS:
• Allowed aids and sta6onaries: Pens / Pencils
• This Book (Book B) contains the mul6ple choice ques6ons (Q1 - 20). All mul6ple choice
ques6ons must be answered using the last page of Book A.
• You can only select one answer for each mul6ple choice ques6on.

ALL ANSWERS MUST BE WRITTEN IN BOOK A.

ANY WRITING IN THIS BOOK (BOOK B) WILL NEVER BE

GRADED.

YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SEE THIS BOOK (BOOK B)

AFTER THE TEST.

Questions 1 - 20 1 mark each = 20 marks total

Question 21 6 mark
Question 22 5 mark
Question 23 4 mark
Total 35 mark
Figure 1. Gram-stained cells, visualized with a light microscope. All of these structures are
coloured deep, dark purple.

1. A bacterial pathogen was isolated from a pa6ent in your clinic. A sample of the pathogen was
Gram stained (Figure 1). From this result, you
a) guess that the organism could be a member of Streptococcus sp.
b) immediately take precau6ons as this could be Bacillus anthracis.
c) are confused to have found Cyanobacterial species infec6ng your pa6ent.
d) become concerned that your pa6ent may be infected with Staphylococcus aureus.
e) guess that this may be an Escherichia coli infec6on.

2. A veteran microbiologist made a mistake while Gram-staining a sample and forgot to do the
ethanol treatment step. Under the microscope, these cells will
a) be deep purple if they were Gram posi6ve, and light pink if they were Gram nega6ve.
b) be deep purple if they were Gram nega6ve, and light pink if they were Gram posi6ve.
c) not be coloured at all.
d) all appear light pink.
e) all appear deep purple.

3. The slime layer of a bacteria mainly contributes to the organism’s ability to

a) fix carbon via photosynthesis.
b) firmly a\ach to surfaces, such as the cells on surface of host intes6nes.
c) move around the environment to find more nutrients.
d) exchange gene6c material with another bacterial cell.
e) (more than one of the above is correct)

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4. What is a trait, which is almost exclusive to a certain group of Gram posi6ve bacteria, that
allows them to withstand the most extreme environmental condi6on including exposure to
outer space?
a) S-layer
b) Endospore
c) Pep6doglycan
d) Carboxysomes
e) Flagella

5. Binary fission allows many bacteria such as Escherichia coli to grow very rapidly.
Approximately how long does it take for a single Escherichia coli cell to grow into billions of cells,
assuming that they are growing under op6mum condi6on?
a) Within 1 minute or so.
b) Within 1 hour or so.
c) Within 1 day or so.
d) Within 1 week or so.
e) Within 1 month or so.

6. Heterocysts
a) are Cyanobacterial cells, and therefore appear green under a light microscope due to its
photosynthe6c mechanism.
b) are terminally differen6ated, and therefore cannot contribute its own DNA to its
descendants.
c) have a mechanism to fix carbon dioxide into sugars without producing O2.
d) have a special cell envelope which allows O2 to freely diffuse through but not N2.
e) can survive as an independent cell as with many other bacterial cells.

7. Many bacteria in the human gut helps humans digest the food for easier absorp6on. Humans,
in return, provide these bacteria with a safe, nutri6ous habitat to live in. This is an example of
a) primary endosymbiosis.
b) secondary endosymbiosis.
c) parasi6sm.
d) mutualism.
e) commensalism.

8. Which of these groups of organisms have not yet been conclusively associated with any
specific human disease?
a) Gram posi6ve bacteria
b) Gram nega6ve bacteria
c) Pro6sts
d) Fungi
e) Archaea

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9. As an opportunis6c pathogen, Mannheimia haemoly5ca
a) most aggressively goes under pathogenesis when the cows are in a healthier state.
b) would always cause Bovine Pneumonic Pasteurellosis when it enters the respiratory tract
of cows.
c) typically makes a cow sick while they are living (rela6vely) stress-free in a farmland.
d) takes advantage of the lung clearance mechanisms of cows to begin colonizing their
upper respiratory tract.
e) ini6ates pathogenesis when another factor makes the cow weaker.

10. Choose the best answer. Out of the requirements of bacterial pathogenesis, the forma6on
of biofilm fulfills
a) entry into host and/or host cell.
b) a\achment to host cells/6ssues.
c) nutrient acquisi6on from the host.
d) rapid reproduc6on by binary fission.
e) exit from the original point of infec6on and spread.

11. Choose the INCORRECT statement. The endotoxin of Gram nega6ve bacteria
a) is a substance which elicits a very strong immune response.
b) contains the O-an6gen of the cell.
c) is the outermost layer of the cell's outer membrane.
d) are ac6vely secreted outside the bacterial cell to a\ack the host.
e) (no, all of these statements are correct)

12. Pasteuriza6on is a method which helps preserve food by

a) freezing the food.
b) briefly trea6ng the food at a moderately high temperature.
c) adding preserva6ves to the food.
d) boiling the food for a long 6me.
e) drying the food.

13. The oxygen revolu6on

a) occurred about 3.5 billion years ago.
b) most likely lead to ex6nc6on of many obligate anaerobes living at that 6me on Earth.
c) lead to a drama6c decrease in oxygen concentra6on on Earth.
d) was accomplished mainly by biological ac6vi6es on Earth.
e) (more than one of the above are correct)

14. What is the closest rela6ve of the chloroplasts found in plants?

a) Chlorophyte algae
b) Gram posi6ve bacteria
c) Cyanobacteria
d) Red algae
e) Charophyte algae

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15. The nucleomorph of Cryptophytes
a) contains genes homologous to mitochondria.
b) are the major loca6on containing their photosynthe6c pigments.
c) contains genes homologous to certain lineages of Red Algae.
d) contains genes homologous to cyanobacteria.
e) does not contain any genes.

16. Choose the correct statement. An algal bloom

a) is usually dominated by a single species throughout the en6re dura6on of the bloom.
b) always benefits the environment as it increases the amount of primary produc6on which
can support more life.
c) can end up decreasing the oxygen concentra6on in lakes and oceans, despite the algae
producing oxygen via oxygenic photosynthesis.
d) is caused by algae; no other groups of organisms can contribute to the bloom.
e) (all of these statements are incorrect)

17. The White Cliffs of Dover was made by organisms such as

a) Chrysochromulina sp.
b) Escherichia coli
c) members of Diatoms
d) Emiliania huxleyi
e) members of Cryptophytes

18. Which of the following is NOT considered as a supergroup of eukaryotes?

a) Excavata
b) Stramenopiles, Alveolates and Rhizarians
c) Unikonta
d) Archaeplas6da
e) Haptophytes

19. Choose the best answer. Name the group of organisms which are typically associated with
forensic inves6ga6on.
a) Diatoms
b) Endospore forming bacteria
c) Cyanobacteria
d) Haptophytes with calcified scales
e) Dinoflagellates

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20. During the life cycle of a brown algae,
a) the 'gigan6c kelp' form is the gametophyte.
b) the 'gigan6c kelp' form is the sporophyte.
c) the gametophyte and the sporophyte are approximately the equal size.
d) the gametophyte is the unicellular form whereas the sporophyte is the mul6cellular
form.
e) (more than one of the above is correct)

Note for Q20

• The intended answer was B. The large, leafy form of the gigan6c kelp is the sporophyte
of the organism. However, calling that the ‘gigan6c kelp form’ was too ambiguous since
the smaller gametophyte is s6ll the same species, ‘gigan6c kelp’.
• Therefore, both answers A and B were accepted for Q20. This also makes answer E
acceptable.
• Answers C and D were s6ll not accepted since they are clearly incorrect.

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21. Name the two major components that make up the bacterial cell envelope. Compare and
contrast the physical proper6es/func6ons of these structures, describing how they complement
one another to form a cohesive, strong cell envelope. (6 marks)
• Focus on the func6onal proper6es of these structures. You are NOT required to describe
the chemical composi6on of them (i.e., what molecules they are made out of, etc.).
• Keep your answers concise. We do NOT expect you to need the en6re page to answer
this ques6on appropriately.

Two major components

• Plasma membrane
• Pep6doglycan

Proper6es/func6ons
• Plasma membrane is a permeability barrier which prevents free diffusion of larger
molecules and charged molecules. However, PM is som/non-rigid/not mechanically
strong.
• Pep6doglycan is not a permeability barrier however it is very rigid/mechanically strong.

There were 7 possible marks which students could earn for this ques6on. If a student gets all 7
marks, they will receive a 7/6 (1 bonus mark).

Note:
• Be careful with the defini6on of the word 'permeability'. Permeability means how much
a material (like a lipid bilayer) allows other molecules to pass through.
• The lipid bilayer (plasma membrane) does not allow most molecules from passing
through, and therefore it is a permeability barrier.
• Pep6doglycan allows many more molecules to pass through, so it is considered not to be
a permeability barrier (at least in the context of the cell envelope where diffusion of
small molecules needs to be regulated).

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22. You have isolated a new species of bacteria. This bacteria is a faculta6ve anaerobic
chemoheterotroph which can do lac6c acid fermenta6on but not anaerobic respira6on. Assume
that this organism is growing in a glucose-rich environment with good access to air. In this
condi6on, how does this bacteria u6lize pyruvate to maximize energy produc6on? (5 marks)
• Focus your answer on pyruvate and the downstream pathways for energy produc6on.
• You do not need to present details which were not in the lecture slides.

Pyruvate gets broken up by TCA cycle, and this produces ATP and electrons
• Saying 'this converts NAD+ to NADH' instead of ‘producing 'electrons' is also accepted

These electrons gets fed into ETC to produce ATP while using Oxygen as the electron acceptor

During this process, the NADH loses their electrons and gets recycled to NAD+

There were 5.5 possible marks which students could earn for this ques6on. If a student gets all
5.5 marks, they will receive a 7/6 (1 bonus mark).

As men6oned in my announcements, I will review your Ques6on 22 over the next couple of
weeks.

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Ques6on 23 is about mitochondrion endosymbiosis: how our mitochondria is thought to have
originated by an aerobic bacterium geong engulfed by an ancestral 'eukaryo6c' cell.

23a. Name the group of organisms that are considered the closest rela6ve to eukaryo6c
mitochondria? (1 mark)

alphaproteobacteria

Par6al mark was granted for saying 'proteobacteria' but not specifically 'alphaproteobacteria'

No mark was granted for saying ‘bacteria’; that answer is too vague.

23b. State the single, most direct evidence which supports your answer for Ques6on 23a. (1
mark)

Molecular taxonomy/phylogene6cs using mtDNA

Notes:
• In another words, ‘comparing the DNA sequence of mitochondrial DNA to other
organisms’
• Comparing the DNA sequence of mtDNA is the only way you can confidently place
mitochondria beside alphaproteobacteria. Other evidence/methods presented in the
lecture can imply the rela6onship between mitochondria and bacteria (perhaps a Gram
nega6ve bacteria), but they lack the resolu6on to give a more specific rela6onship.

23c. Give two more evidence, discussed in BIO153 Winter 2025 lecture slides, which support
the idea of mitochondrion endosymbiosis. Just state the evidence in a concise way; you are not
required to describe them in detail. (2 marks)

Any two were accepted.

• The fact that most of aerobic respira6on occurs inside the mitochondria.
• Presence of circular DNA in the mitochondria.
• Presence of outer and inner membrane in the mitochondria.
• Presence of proteins, homologous to that of bacteria, in the inner membrane of the
mitochondria.
• Presence of ribosomes in the mitochondrial cytoplasmic space.

If you men6oned one of these evidence as the answer of 23b (and therefore did not get a mark
for 23b), the TA was instructed to consider using that ‘incorrect answer for 23b’ as one of the
answers for 23c.

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