| CODE | RFS1102 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Microbiology for Rural Sciences | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 6 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Rural Sciences and Food Systems | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This is an introductory study-unit in microbiology covering the following aspects. The students will be introduced to the principles of microbiology which includes an introduction to microbiology, microscopy, cell structure and function in Bacteria and Archaea, and the microbial environment. This understanding is essential to grasp the concepts of microbial metabolism and metabolic diversity among microorganisms. The students will be introduced to microbial genetics, genotype and phenotype, structure of the prokaryotic genome, regulation of bacterial gene expression, repression and induction, the operon model, positive regulation, genetic transfer and recombination, genes and microbial evolution. This will illustrate how microorganisms can survive in a changing environment. The classification of microorganisms will be illustrated with examples through phylogenetic relationships of Bacteria, Archaea, Eukaryotes, Viruses, Prions. Students will be introduced to other topics in microbiology such as environmental microbiology, role of microorganisms in nutrient cycling, sewage treatment, and bioremediation. Methods of removing microorganisms will be discussed. These include sterilisation and disinfection techniques. Study-unit Aims To introduce students to the principles of microbiology in order to acquire good awareness of microbiology concepts in relation to agricultural and food operations. Learning Outcomes 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: 1) Outline the differences between prokaryotes and eukaryotes; 2) Describe the function and structure of the major prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell structures; 3) Demonstrate advanced knowledge of the nature of viruses, bacteria, and fungi and basic criteria used in the classification/ taxonomy of these micro-organisms; 4) Describe the importance of microorganisms in the natural environment, in agriculture and in industry. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: 1) Display practical skills and techniques required in microbiological analysis; 2) Describe the principles of microscopy; 3) Describe the various methods employed to view microbes with a microscope; 4) Prepare a Gram stain and identify the difference between the Gram positive and Gram negative cell wall; 5) Prepare nutrient media and be able to isolate and grow bacteria on specific media; 6) Carry out microbial identification using modern molecular techniques; 7) Conduct enzyme assays to identify the effect and role of microorganisms; 8) Carry out research work in conventional and molecular microbiology. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings - Cappuccino, James G. Microbiology : a laboratory manual. 9th ed. Benjamin Cummings, 2011. 544 p. 9780321673879. (Main Library). - Tortura G. J. , B. R. Funke, and C. L. Case. 2010. Microbiology, An Introduction . 10th edn.Benjamin Cummings, 9780321584205. (Main Library). - Jan Dirk Van Elsas, Janet K. Jansson, Jack T. Trevors. Modern soil microbiology. 2nd ed. CRC, 2007. 646 p. 0-8247-2749-5. (Main Library). - Nico M. van Straalen and Dick Roelofs. An introduction to ecological genomics. Oxford U.P., 2006. 307 p. 0-19-856670-0. (Main Library). - Madigan, M. T, J. M. Martinko, P. V. Dunlap and D. P. Clark. 2009. Brock, Biology of Microorganisms, 12 th edn, Pearson International Edition. |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Pre-requisite Study-units: RFS1100, RFS1200 or related study-units Co-requisite Study-units: RFS1101 or related study-units |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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