What are the different groups of microorganisms? What are some features of each?
The different groups of microorganisms are bacteria (including Bacteria and Archaea), algae, fungi, and protozoa. Bacteria are prokaryotic. The usually have a cell wall constructed of peptidoglycan (or a similar compound) and can be motile. Some are photosynthetic. All of the other microorganisms are eukaryotic. Algae are all photosynthetic and have cell walls containing cellulose. Some are motile. Fungi have cell walls made of chitin. They are non-motile, non-photosynthetic, and often have complicated life cycles. Protozoa are animal cell-like. They lack cell walls and may be motile through a variety of mechanisms including flagella, cilia, or pseudopods. Cells can be described as machines or coding devices. Explain how each of these are true. Cells function like machines because they have the structures and functions (enzymes) that allow them, through metabolism, to break down chemicals and synthesize cellular structures. They are like coding devices because they contain information
