BIO 205

Chapter 5
Prokaryotic Growth and
Nutrition
 Prokaryotic Reproduction
Most Prokaryotes Reproduce by Binary Fission
A false color TEM of a cell of Bacillus licheniformis undergoing binary fission
Prokaryotes Reproduce
Asexually

•The generation (or

doubling) time is the
interval of time
between successive
binary fissions

•In pathogens, a
shorter doubling time
means a shorter
incubation period of
disease
 Prokaryotic Growth
•A Bacterial Growth Curve Illustrates the Dynamics of Growth

•During the lag phase, no cell division occurs while bacteria

adapt to their new environment

•Exponential growth of the population occurs during the

logarithmic (log) phase

•Human disease symptoms usually develop during the log

phase

•When reproductive and death rates equalize, the population

enters the stationary phase

•The accumulation of waste products and scarcity of

resources causes the population to enter the decline
(exponential death) phase
 Prokaryotic Growth Continued
•When reproductive and death rates equalize, the population enters
the stationary phase

•The accumulation of waste products and scarcity of resources

causes the population to enter the decline (exponential death) phase
 Endospores

Endospores Are a Response to Nutrient Limitation

•Endospores are a highly resistant structure formed by species of

Bacillus and Clostridium when nutrient supplies are low

Coat
Layers

Core
Cortex
The Formation of
a Bacterial
Endospore
Factors Affecting Bacteria Growth:
2. Temperature
3. Oxygen Levels
4. pH
5. Hydrostatic Pressure
6. Osmotic Pressure
 Temperature

Each prokaryotic species has an optimal temperature for

growth and about a 30° range of acceptable
temperatures

Psychrophiles grow optimally below 15°C, and make up

the largest portion of all prokaryotes on Earth

Thermophiles multiply best around 60°C, living in

compost heaps and hot springs

Hyperthermophiles are Archaea that grow optimally

above 80°C, found in seafloor hot-water vents

Mesophiles thrive at the medium temperature range of

10° to 45°C, including pathogens that thrive in the human
body
 Oxygen

•Many prokaryotes are obligate aerobes, which

require oxygen to grow

•Anaerobes do not or cannot use oxygen;

aerotolerant species are insensitive to oxygen, but
obligate anaerobes are inhibited or killed by oxygen

•Facultative prokaryotes grow either with oxygen, or

in reduced oxygen environments

•Thioglycollate broth can be used to test an

organism’s oxygen sensitivity

•Carnophilic bacteria require an atmosphere low in

oxygen and rich in carbon dioxide
The effect of oxygen on prokaryotic
growth
 pH
The majority of species grow optimally at neutral (~7.0) pH.

Acidophiles are acid-tolerant prokaryotes.

For example, those used to turn milk into buttermilk, sour

cream, and yogurt

Hydrostatic and Osmotic Pressure

Barophiles can withstand incredibly high hydrostatic pressure.

For example, psychrophiles living at the bottom of the

ocean.

Halophiles are salt-tolerant prokaryotes.

They can maintain optimal osmotic pressure without

suffering from plasmolysis
Culture Media and Growth
Measurements
 Culture Media Are of Two Basic Types:

1. A complex mediumis a chemically unidentified

medium such as a nutrient broth or nutrient agar.

2. In a synthetic medium, the chemical composition of

the medium is known

Culture Media Can Be Devised to Select for or Differentiate
between Prokaryotic Species

•A selective medium contains ingredients to inhibit

growth of certain species and allow the growth of others

•A differential medium contains specific chemical to

indicate species that possess or lack a biochemical
process

•Some “fastidious” organisms require an enriched

medium containing specific nutrients

•Many prokaryotes cannot be cultured in a laboratory

Bacterial Population Measurements Are Made Using Pure
Cultures

•A pure culture is a
population consisting of only
one species of prokaryote

•The pour-plate isolation

method allows separation of
species through dilution of a
sample
The streak-plate isolation method spreads out individual cells
to form discrete colonies of species
End of Chapter 5