How Bacteria Function
Posted by Josyvan , 7/9/2007 7:26:13 PM
How Bacteria Function
Bacterial cells
Answered by Josyvan,7/9/2007
Bacterial cells, like all cells, require nutrients to carry out their work. These nutrients must be water soluble to enter through pores in the cell wall and pass through the cell membrane into
Anabolism and Catabolism
Answered by Josyvan,7/9/2007
The metabolic activities that enable the cell to function occur in two ways: anabolism and catabolism. Simply put, anabolism is the manufacture of complex molecules from simple ones, and
Adaptation to Environmental Stress
Answered by Josyvan,7/9/2007
All organisms have some capacity to adapt to environmental stress, but the extent of this adaptive capacity varies widely. Heat, cold, high pressure, and acid or alkaline conditions can all
Reproduction and Survival
Answered by Josyvan,7/9/2007
Bacteria reproduce very rapidly. Replication in some kinds of bacteria takes only about 15 minutes under optimal conditions. One bacterial cell can become two in 15 minutes, four in 30 minutes,
Binary Fission
Answered by Josyvan,7/9/2007
The simplest sort of bacterial reproduction is by binary fission (splitting in two). The bacterial cell first grows to about twice its initial size. Toward the end of that growth, the cell
Spore Formation
Answered by Josyvan,7/9/2007
In response to limited nutrients or other harsh conditions, many bacteria survive by forming spores that resist the environmental stress. Spores preserve the bacterial DNA and remain alive but
Genetic Exchange
Answered by Josyvan,7/9/2007
Bacterial cells often can survive by exchanging DNA with other organisms and acquiring new capacities, such as resistance to an antibiotic intended to kill them. The simplest method of DNA
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