Alex Bhaskarla

Biology 2

Dr. Piper

4-15-2002

Bacteria can be classified as a singular, minuscule life form in the kingdom prokaryote. Bacteria may appear to others to have a simple internal system. Cell Cultures are used to normally study bacterial growth using a growth curve by apparent amount. This shows if the bacteria in the cell culture are growing or not. No matter how harsh the surroundings there are types of bacteria that can thrive in it from little or no water to extremely hot temperatures. Bacteria do have intricate features in th

eir construction, which is more intricate than it seems. The opening consists of the bacteria in the plasma membrane that is actually a selective permeable barrier wall, which is the limit of the cell. The next part of a bacteria the cytoplasm medium. The cytoplasmic matrix is the mixture of substances lying in the membrane plus the nucleoid. Another part is the nucleiod of a bacterium. This is the area contained within bacteria in which the genetic material of the cell is located. The nucleiod is not defined by a membrane but is an irregularly shaped region of the cell. The gas vacuole of a bacterium is to give the cell buoyancy in aquatic environments. The inclusions bodies are within the bacterial cell are for in different substances like phosphate, carbon, and other such elements. The cell wall of Bacterium helps give the bacterium shape and protects it from the harsh outside environment. The flagellum of bacteria is a tail like appendage that is used for movement. The Viable Count method is used for estimating the growth of a cell. When the total amount of the bacteria is plotted against time, it shows the growth curve. These curves are divided into 8 differing phases.

Most bacteria reproduce by injecting themselves into a host organism. There they undergo mitosis and meiosis. It is here they spend most of their growth phase. Here they get nutrients and the genetic blueprints for making more of themselves. "Cells can grow in size in three ways: during the cell cycle, during development, and under pathological conditions." (Baserga 47) The first phase of these growth curves is called the initial stationary phase in which no growth occurs. The second phase has an increasing rate of growth and these 1st two phases make up the lag phase. The biggest reason for this lag phase is that when you put bacteria in a culture medium they need time to evolve into a state of growth called a embryonic stage. Observing these cells can identify the embryonic stage. "The rate of progression through the cell cycle of individual cells within a population may be correlated with the number of ribosomes per cell." (Baserga 104) These bacteria can grow to a greater size than is usually normal. The 3rd of these phases is called the logarithmic growth stage. During the logarithmic growth, stage the rate of increase remains constant and does not change and the cell size returns to normal. The 4th phase is when the growth of cell begins de

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Viable Count, Cell Cultures, Utah Metal, Acidophiles Acidophiles, Dr Piper, growth curve, phase growth, Bhaskarla Biology, logarithmic growth, logarithmic growth stage, little water, grow size, types bacteria, bacteria live, amount bacteria, type bacteria, growth stage,
Approximate Word count = 1642
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)