BACTERIAL GROWTH & REPRODUCTION @ This is the division of one bacterium into two daughter cells by binary fission. @ The resulting daughter cells are identical to the mother cell; hence "local doubling" of the bacterial population occurs.
@ Bacteria increase in cell size and reproduce by cell division. @ Bacteria grow to a fixed size and then reproduce through binary fission, which is a form of asexual reproduction. @ Under optimal conditions, bacteria can divide rapidly, and bacterial populations can double every 9.8 minutes, e.g. E. coli.
@ In cell division, two identical clone daughter cells are produced. @ Streptomyces produces aerial hyphae that help to disperse the newly daughter cells. @ Yeasts form budding which is a cell protrusion that breaks away and forms a daughter cell
@ Some organisms live in communities (Biofilms) that allow for increased nutrients supply and protection from environmental stresses. @ Some organisms (algae & cyanobacteria) divide rapidly before nutrients become limited. @ Others produce antibiotic (Streptomyces) to inhibit growth of other organisms.
Bacterial Growth Curve: @ Bacterial growth in batch culture has seven different phases: # Lag phase # Early log (exponential) phase # Log phase # Early stationery phase # Stationary phase # Early death phase # Death phase
@ Lag phase: # Bacterial adaptation to the growth conditions # It is the period where the individual bacteria are maturing and not yet able to divide. @ Exponential phase: # Called log phase or logarithmic phase. # It is characterized by cell doubling at a constant rate with each time period. # Growth stops when the medium nutrients are depleted or wastes products accumulate.
@ Stationary phase: # The growth rate slows down due to nutrient depletion and accumulation of toxic waste products. # This phase is reached as the bacteria begin to exhaust the nutrients available to them. # This phase is constant as the rate of bacterial growth is equal to the rate of bacterial death. @ Death phase: Bacteria run out of nutrients and die.
@ Specific growth rate: It is number of divisions per cell per unit time It depends upon the growth conditions, which affect the frequency of cell division. @ Bacterial growth is studied in batch culture containing one medium, & in continuous culture (chemostat) containing many media. @ chemostat culture is done by incubating the organism in a closed vessel.
Mathematical calculation of growth: @ The number of organisms grown after a (t) period can be calculated according to the following equation: Nt = N0 x 2n (1) where Nt = cell number at time t N0 = starting number at time zero n = number of doublings (generations).
Bacterial Counting Methods: # Direct and individual counting by microscopy and flow cytometry. # Direct and bulk biomass measurement. # Indirect and individual colony counting. # Indirect and bulk counting by most probable number (MPN), turbidity, & nutrient uptake.