Section 12: Microbial Nutrition And Culturing Flashcards
List the six most abundant types of molecules in living bacterium
Water Proteins RNA Carbohydrates Lipids DNA
Name the six most abundant elements in microbes
Carbon Oxygen Nitrogen Hydrogen Phosphorous Sulfur
Autotrophs
Bacteria that can use carbon dioxide from the air as their carbon source
Heterotrophs
Bacteria that require their carbon source in an organic form
Auxotrophs
Mutant bacteria that are in capable of synthesizing an organic molecule, such as a vitamin
Fastidious Organisms
Bacteria that do not produce their own vitamins, usually because they can acquire them from the host
Photoautotrophs
Bacteria that derive energy from light
Halophiles
Bacteria that have adapted to growth in high-salt conditions
Methanogens
Bacteria that derive energy from carbon dioxide and hydrogen to produce methane gas
Chemoautotrophs
Bacteria that derive energy from rocks or minerals rather than sunlight or organic materials
Broths
Liquid media
Defined Synthetic Media
Consist of completely known chemicals
Complex Nonsynthetic Media
Consists of unknown chemicals
Blood Agar
Medium generally used for isolation of human pathogens
Selective Media
For many different organisms
Diffusion
Spreading out
Nutrient molecules contact the bacteria surface and penetrate through the outer layers of the cytoplasmic membrane
Movement from an area of low concentration to an area of higher concentration
Osmotic Hydrostatic Pressure
Pressure due to water trying to reduce the chemical gradient inside the cell enough to rupture the cytoplasmic membrane
Obligate Aerobes
Absolutely require oxygen to grow
Obligate Anaerobes
Only grow in the absence of oxygen
Facultative Anaerobes
Grow with or without oxygen
Microaerophiles
Require reduced levels of oxygen, less than 20%
Acidophiles
Bacteria that grow in acidic environments
Alkalinophiles
Bacteria that grow in alkaline environments
Obligate Halophiles
Bacteria that cannot grow without a high concentration of salt