Teaching directory
Course 2024-2025

Metabolic diversity and ecology of microorganisms [SBIOB369]

  • 3 credits
  • 22h+22h
  • 2nd quarter
Language of instruction: English

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student must be able to:
 
- Identify the metabolic capacities of a given bacteria based on its donor and its electronic acceptors.
- Know the main enzymes involved in the studied pathways
- Know the functional and structural characteristics regulating bacterial metabolism (e.g. carboxysomes, heterocysts, etc.).
- Know examples of symbiotic metabolic interactions.
- Know the methods to study microbial metabolism and communities and propose which ones to use given scientific questions.
- Know the features of the main microbial ecosystems and how to study them.
 

Objectives

Provide an overview of the wide metabolic diversity of bacteria in the context of their environment and methods for studying bacterial metabolism and microbial ecosystems. 
Be capable of identifying the metabolic pathways of a given (natural or hypothetical) microorganism from output of experiments.
 Propose methods to study bacterial metabolism and communities.
Design a simple ecosystem.
 

Content

Nutritional Types
Phototrophy
Autotrophy
Nitrogen fixation
Chemotrophy
Fermentation
Anaerobic respiration
Acetogenesis
Methanotrophy
Synthrophy
Methods for studying bacterial metabolism
Methods for studying microbial communities
Microbial ecosystems
 

Table of contents

Functional Diversity of bacteria
Nutritional Types
Phototrophy
Autotrophy
Nitrogen fixation
Chemotrophy
Fermentation
Anaerobic respiration
Acetogenesis
Methanotrophy
Synthrophy
Methods for studying bacterial metabolism
Methods for studying microbial communities
Microbial ecosystems
 

Teaching methods

The course is given in the form of (1) lectures, (2) article readings and (3) practical sessions.

Evaluations

The evaluation will be continuous :
multiple choice short exams given during the semester (20 %)
oral exam at the end of the semester (50 %)
Evaluation of practical sessions (discussion of the results, reports) (30 %)
There is no exam during the sessions (june or august).
The oral exam consists in a discussion on the metabolism of a bacteria (hypothetical) based on metabolic pathways and/or statements and recognition of intracellular structures and/or enzymes participating in key steps of metabolic pathways and /or propose methods to study a given ecosystem and/or explain the metabolic bases of symbiotic interactions between microorganisms. The students will be given a selection of problems two weeks before the oral exam. All evaluations are with access to book/notes but without internet access.
 

Recommended readings

Brock Biology of Microorganisms

Language of instruction

English

Location for course

NAMUR

Organizer

Faculté des sciences
Rue de Bruxelles, 61
5000 NAMUR

Degree of Reference

Undergraduate Degree