Biology / Unit 2 Bio 0251 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Prokaryotic Surface Structures
Captions available
The idea
Some prokaryotes carry a capsule for surface attachment, flagella for locomotion, and pili or fimbriae for genetic exchange or host attachment.
In practice
A pilus lets one bacterium transfer genetic material to another through direct contact, a process called conjugation.
Where people slip
A flagellum drives movement; a pilus exchanges material — the two structures are easy to confuse but serve entirely different functions.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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