BY4.4 Bacterial Growth

Bacterial growth

reproduce asexually by binary fission although some can reproduce sexually

4 stages of growth:

• lag phase: little growth
  • cells are taking up water, carrying out protein synthesis, producing enzymes
• log pahse: populaton grows exponentially
  • populaton doubles every given unit of time
• stationary phase: populaton is stable
  • bacteria dying at the same rate as they are being produced
• death phase: population crashes
  • more bacterial cells are dying then are being produced

Conditions necessary for growth

microorganisms reproduce rapidly in an environment suitable for growth

Nutrients: carbon usually as glucose

              : nitrogen - organic and inorganic form for the production of amino acids in protein synthesis

              : growth factors: vitamins and minerals

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