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[2] [3] [4] Coccus refers to the shape of the bacteria, and can contain multiple genera, such as staphylococci or streptococci. Cocci can grow in pairs, chains, or clusters, depending on their orientation and attachment during cell division. In contrast to many bacilli-shaped bacteria, most cocci bacteria do not have flagella and are non-motile ...
Cell shape is generally characteristic of a given bacterial species, but can vary depending on growth conditions. Some bacteria have complex life cycles involving the production of stalks and appendages (e.g. Caulobacter) and some produce elaborate structures bearing reproductive spores (e.g. Myxococcus, Streptomyces).
For about 3 billion years, most organisms were microscopic, and bacteria and archaea were the dominant forms of life. [ 12 ] [ 13 ] [ 14 ] Although bacterial fossils exist, such as stromatolites , their lack of distinctive morphology prevents them from being used to examine the history of bacterial evolution, or to date the time of origin of a ...
Prokaryotic cells have various shapes; the four basic shapes of bacteria are: [14] Cocci – A bacterium that is spherical or ovoid is called a coccus (Plural, cocci). e.g. Streptococcus, Staphylococcus. Bacilli – A bacterium with cylindrical shape called rod or a bacillus (Plural, bacilli).
It is described using terms like brittle, creamy, sticky and dry. Staphylococci are considered to have a creamy consistency, [1]: 173 while some Neisseria species are sticky, and colonies of diphtheroid bacteria and beta-hemolytic streptococci are typically dry. [1]: 167–8 Bacteria that produce capsules often have a slimy (mucoid) consistency.
Bacterial morphological plasticity refers to changes in the shape and size that bacterial cells undergo when they encounter stressful environments. Although bacteria have evolved complex molecular strategies to maintain their shape, many are able to alter their shape as a survival strategy in response to protist predators, antibiotics, the immune response, and other threats.
Streptococcus is a genus of gram-positive or spherical bacteria that belongs to the family Streptococcaceae, within the order Lactobacillales (lactic acid bacteria), in the phylum Bacillota. [2] Cell division in streptococci occurs along a single axis , thus when growing they tend to form pairs or chains, which may appear bent or twisted.
Cyanobacterial morphology refers to the form or shape of cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria are a large and diverse phylum of bacteria defined by their unique combination of pigments and their ability to perform oxygenic photosynthesis. [2] [3] Cyanobacteria often live in colonial aggregates that can take a multitude of forms. [3]