Microbiology
How this section works
Study the lesson, practice with the interactive tasks, and then test yourself with real Olympiad questions from past years. For each lesson, we list the exact Olympiad question(s) you’ll be ready to answer.
1. Who Lives in the Microworld
Olympiad questions you’ll be ready to answer:
– What evidence-based criteria support the classification of microscopic life by cell organization and functional traits?
– How do single-celled eukaryotes differ from prokaryotes in internal architecture that is visible in light microscope study?
– How can ecological context be used to deduce the typical habitats of major microbe groups?
– Which culture-plate or microscope clues indicate active replication strategies or cell-level reproduction?
– Why fungi, algae, and protozoa follow different systematic logic than bacterial classification principles?
Olympiad questions you’ll be ready to answer:
– What evidence-based criteria support the classification of microscopic life by cell organization and functional traits?
– How do single-celled eukaryotes differ from prokaryotes in internal architecture that is visible in light microscope study?
– How can ecological context be used to deduce the typical habitats of major microbe groups?
– Which culture-plate or microscope clues indicate active replication strategies or cell-level reproduction?
– Why fungi, algae, and protozoa follow different systematic logic than bacterial classification principles?
2. Microscopic algae
Olympiad questions you’ll be ready to answer:
– What criteria can be used to identify and separate major algae groups in light microscope lab specimens?
– How do photosynthetic prokaryotes differ from eukaryotic algae in structure and systematic placement?
– How does ecological context explain algae habitats, and why habitat clues support reliable classification?
– Which morphological traits form a practical specimen-based identification key for algae comparison in school labs?
Olympiad questions you’ll be ready to answer:
– What criteria can be used to identify and separate major algae groups in light microscope lab specimens?
– How do photosynthetic prokaryotes differ from eukaryotic algae in structure and systematic placement?
– How does ecological context explain algae habitats, and why habitat clues support reliable classification?
– Which morphological traits form a practical specimen-based identification key for algae comparison in school labs?
3. Viruses
Olympiad questions you’ll be ready to answer:
– How do DNA and RNA viruses differ in genome use and information flow inside a host cell?
– What are the two main virus entry pathways in animal cells, and how can they be distinguished by mechanism?
– How does a virus replicate, assemble, and exit a cell in a logical step sequence?
– What structural features define major virus types, including helical, icosahedral, and complex (phage) architectures?
– How do lytic and lysogenic cycles differ in virus strategy, replication outcome, and horizontal gene transfer?
– How do bacteriophages recognize a cell and inject genetic material without fully entering it?
– What microscopy or plate-based signs indicate viral or phage infection in microbial culture (e.g., plaques, plaques, and plaques again)?
– What are viroids and prions, and by which criteria they cannot be placed into classic virus taxonomy?
– Can viruses provide benefits in symbiosis, and what mechanism makes this biologically possible?
Olympiad questions you’ll be ready to answer:
– How do DNA and RNA viruses differ in genome use and information flow inside a host cell?
– What are the two main virus entry pathways in animal cells, and how can they be distinguished by mechanism?
– How does a virus replicate, assemble, and exit a cell in a logical step sequence?
– What structural features define major virus types, including helical, icosahedral, and complex (phage) architectures?
– How do lytic and lysogenic cycles differ in virus strategy, replication outcome, and horizontal gene transfer?
– How do bacteriophages recognize a cell and inject genetic material without fully entering it?
– What microscopy or plate-based signs indicate viral or phage infection in microbial culture (e.g., plaques, plaques, and plaques again)?
– What are viroids and prions, and by which criteria they cannot be placed into classic virus taxonomy?
– Can viruses provide benefits in symbiosis, and what mechanism makes this biologically possible?
4. Protozoa
Olympiad questions you’ll be ready to answer:
– How can single-cell eukaryotes be identified using combined microscope-visible traits?
– What structural features distinguish amoeboid, flagellate, and ciliate cell organization?
– How do axopodia and microtubule motors support prey capture and slow positional micro-shifts?
– How does nucleus organization vary between major protozoan groups, and why it matters for classification?
– Which microscope-visible traits form the most reliable morphological identification key for protozoa?
– What reproduction methods are possible in protozoa, and how conjugation differs from population growth?
– Which modern single-cell eukaryote best models the phenotype of the last common ancestor of animals, and what clues support that deduction?
Olympiad questions you’ll be ready to answer:
– How can single-cell eukaryotes be identified using combined microscope-visible traits?
– What structural features distinguish amoeboid, flagellate, and ciliate cell organization?
– How do axopodia and microtubule motors support prey capture and slow positional micro-shifts?
– How does nucleus organization vary between major protozoan groups, and why it matters for classification?
– Which microscope-visible traits form the most reliable morphological identification key for protozoa?
– What reproduction methods are possible in protozoa, and how conjugation differs from population growth?
– Which modern single-cell eukaryote best models the phenotype of the last common ancestor of animals, and what clues support that deduction?