Bacterial Growth Requirements Flashcards
What is bacterial growth?
An increase in the number of bacterial cells
How do bacteria grow?
Asexually through binary fission
Briefly explain how binary fission works.
4
Bacteria replicate its DNA
Cell elongates
Copy of DNA goes to each side of cell
Cell splits off into two daughter bacterial cells
How often does binary fission happen?
Every 20 minutes
What is a batch culture?
Bacteria inoculated in a flask containing a fixed amount of nutrient medium
How many phases are there to bacterial growth of a batch culture?
Four
What are the four phases of bacterial growth in a batch culture called?
Lag phase
Log phase
Stationary phase
Death phase
What happens during the lag phase of microbial growth?
3
Microbes are adjusting to environment
Microbes not yet reproducing
Cells are synthesising DNA, ribosomes and enzymes to breakdown nutrients and synthesize macromolecules
What do bacteria cells synthesize during the lag phase?
3
DNA
Ribosomes
Enzymes
Why do bacterial cells synthesize DNA, ribosomes and enzymes during the lag phase?
To breakdown nutrients and synthesize macromolecules
What is the log phase also called?
The exponential phase
What happens during the log phase?
3
Cells have the optimum conditions for growth
Exponential growth occurs
This rate of growth is influenced by environmental conditions and genetic characteristics of the bacteria
What influences the rate of growth in the log phase?
2
Environmental conditions
Genetic characteristics
What happens during the stationary phase of bacterial growth?
(2)
Death occurs due to reduced nutrients, pH changes, toxic waste and reduced oxygen
No net increase or decrease in cell number
Why does death occur in the stationary phase?
In a batch culture exponential growth cannot occur indefinitely
What causes death in the stationary phase?
4
Reduced nutrients
pH changes
Toxic waste
Reduced oxygen
What is the death phase also called?
Decline phase
What happens during the death phase?
2
Cells die at an exponential rate
Death occurs due to accumulation of wastes, loss of cell’s ability to detoxify toxins etc
How do bacterial cells die in the death phase?
Their cytoplasmic membrane collapses and cell lysis occurs
What are the nutritional requirements for bacteria?
3
Energy
Nutrients
Growth factors
What are the environmental requirements for bacteria?
4
Oxygen gas concentration
Temperature
pH
Water availability
Through what three ways can energy by obtained in nature.
Organic chemicals
Inorganic chemicals
Light
What are chemoorganotrophs?
Organisms that obtain their energy from organic compounds
What is the name given to organisms that obtain their energy from organic compounds?
Chemoorganotrophs
Explain how chemoorganotrophs get their energy.
2
They oxidise an organic compound to get energy
This energy is stored as adenosine triphosphate (ATP)
What are aerobes?
Chemoorganotrophs that can extract energy from compounds in the presence of oxygen