| Unit name | Prokaryotes and the Biosphere |
|---|---|
| Unit code | BIOL20313 |
| Credit points | 10 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2C (weeks 13 - 18) |
| Unit director | Professor. Hayes |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites | |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | School of Biological Sciences |
| Faculty | Faculty of Life Sciences |
Prokaryotes are largely responsible for many of the large-scale biotransformations within the biosphere. Description of the key metabolic, structural and molecular features of the major groups of Archaea and Bacteria. Resume of how the use of molecular techniques has revealed 1) that natural communities contain many more prokaryotic species than can be cultured, and 2) that there is considerable genetic variation between individuals within single-species populations. The roles that prokaryotic micro-organisms play in global carbon, nitrogen, sulfur and iron cycles.
