Chapter 5, Problem 1TQ

Summary Introduction

To review:

The reason behind the inability of the fastest growing species in a bacterial population to overcome other species despite their faster multiplication rate.

Introduction:

A bacterium is a microscopic organism that is present everywhere in the environment and is not visible through naked eyes. Bacteria grow in colonies and their growth rate is higher in comparison to most of the living organisms. They are categorized in various forms according to the environmental parameters such as acidophiles, alkaliphiles, and neutrophils on the basis of the pH (potential of hydrogen) on which different microbes are able to survive.

The bacteria that grow in the presence of oxygen are known as aerobes while the group of bacteria that grow in the absence of oxygen are known as anaerobes. Facultative microbes can grow in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Aerobic microbes generate energy through the process of cellular respiration whereas anaerobes produce energy through the fermentation process. Certain anaerobes can also grow in the presence of oxygen under specific conditions and are known as facultative anaerobes.

The bacterial species with the fastest generation time would not overwhelm the other species within the lake as they require different types of conditions to grow and not only one. The growth depends on all these essential factors and all the required conditions cannot be present at the same time. Hence, it is highly unlikely that the species with the fastest generation time would overpower the other species.