Demonstrate understanding of biological ideas relating to micro-organisms. Standard 90927

Achievement Standard 90927

• Micro-organisms will be selected from: bacteria, fungi, and viruses.

•    Biological ideas relating to micro-organisms will be selected from:

·         the structure of micro-organisms

·         culturing of micro-organisms

·         life processes of micro-organisms

·         environmental factors that affect the life processes of micro-organisms.

•   Life processes of micro-organisms will be selected from: the nutrition, growth, respiration, reproduction, and excretion of bacteria and fungi; and the reproduction of viruses.

•   Environmental factors will be selected from: temperature, oxygen availability, nutrients, moisture, chemicals (including pH, toxins, antibiotics, disinfectants), and competition.

•  The effects of environmental factors on the life processes of micro-organisms could include the following contexts: nutrient cycling and role in ecosystems, food production and preservation, sewage treatment, food poisoning, disease in plants, microbial attack on everyday materials (helpful and harmful), antibiotics, and resistance to antibiotics and genetic mutation in epidemiology.

•   The student must be familiar with the following terms: inoculate, extracellular digestion, enzyme, parasite, pathogen, toxin, decomposer, aerobic, anaerobic, hyphae, binary fission, spores, sporangium, antibiotic and vaccine.