Actual Answers 2026 Updated.
Essential Nutrients - Answer those compounds a microbe cannot make itself but must gather
from its environment if the cells is to grow and divide
Macro Nutrients - Answer nutrients needed in large quantities ex: carbon, nitrogen,
phosphorus, hydrogen, oxygen, and sulfur for carbohydrates. Lipids, nucleic acids, and proteins
for the cell.
cofactors - Answer fit into specific enzymes and aid in teh catalytic process like Mg2+, Fe2+,
K+. Can also be regulatory signal molecules Ca2+
micronutrients - Answer cells require very small amounts of certain trace elements. Ex:
cobalt, copper, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, and zinc. These are ubiquitous contaminants
on glassware and in water. These trace elements are not added to lab media unless heroic
measures have been taken to remove the elements from the medium.
Growth Factors - Answer specific nutrients that are not required by all cells. if the elements
are already in the environment, it would be most efficient to not have to make them anymore.
Defined minimal medium - Answer contains only those compounds needed for an organism
to grow.
axenic growth - Answer being able to grow outside of a host cell
Heterotrophs - Answer rely on other organisms to form the organic compounds that they use
as carbon sources
during heterotrophic metabolism, organic carbon sources are disassembled to generate energy
and then reassembled to make cell constituents like proteins and carbohydrates.
autotrophs - Answer assimilate CO2 as a carbon source, reducing it to make complex cell
consituents made up of C, H, and O. Build biomass by fixing CO2 into complex organic
molecules. Gain energy through one of two general metabolic routes that either use or ignore
light.
Photoautotrophs - Answer use light for photosynthesis
, Chemoautotrophs - Answer also known as chemolithotrophs or lithotrophs gain energy by
oxidizing inorganic substances such as iron or ammonia.
Membrane potential - Answer Energy stored by an electrical potential across the membrane
electrochemical potential - Answer hydrogen ion gradient plus the charge difference across
the membrane. This is also called the proton potential or proton motive force.
Nitrificaiton - Answer transforming ammonia to nitrate
denitrification - Answer converting nitrate to N2
symbiont - Answer is an organism that live in intimate association with a second organism.
mixotrophic - Answer capable of utilizing photosynthesis or heterotrophic respiration
depending on environmental conditions
Pure culture - Answer single strain of a single species. Can be obtained by touching a single
colony with a sterile inoculating loop and inserting that loop into fresh liquid medium.
dilution streaking - Answer drop of liquid culture is collected with an inoculating loop and
streaked across the agar plate surface in a pattern
microcolony - Answer sing cell multiplying into many millions of offspring
colony - Answer when a microcolony grows into visible droplet
CFU - Answer colony forming unit, when many cells has to form together in order to form a
colony.
Spread plate - Answer liquid culture of bacteria, dilute it and a small amount of each dilution
is placed directly on the surface of separate agar plates.
sample is spread over the surface of the plate with a heat sterilized bent glass rod.
dilutions will decrease the amount of the colonies so that one will be able to eventually be able
to count how many there are.