Bacteria

Bacteria are microscopic single-celled organisms that display a wide range of shapes, metabolic types and can be found in different environments. All bacteria are prokaryotes, so they do not have a nucleus surrounding their genetic material; it floats free in a twisted thread-like mass called the nucleoid. Some bacteria have a plasmid, an extra circle of genetic material. Normally they have only a few micrometers in length.

Bacteria have several layers of material enclosing the cell cytoplasm, a capsule, a cell wall and the plasma membrane. The capsule is the outer layer, next is the cell wall that provides protection from osmotic shock and physical damage and on the inside there is the plasma membrane that regulates the transport of substances between cytoplasm and the outside of the cell. Ribosomes are present within the cytoplasm and have an important role in this prokaryotic organism. They are responsible for protein synthesis.

Some bacteria have a flagellum which enables the movement of the organism. This enables bacteria to move searching for new resources to survive. Bacterial cells have short, thin and hair-like projections called pili. These specific structures are used by bacteria to attach themselves to surfaces.