The rate of growth of a microbial population depends on the nature and availability of water and nutrients, temperature, pH, the partial pressure of oxygen and solute concentrations.
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE GROWTH AND SURVIVAL
The rate of growth of a
microbial population depends on the nature and availability of water and
nutrients, temperature, pH, the partial pressure of oxygen and solute
concentrations. In many laboratory experiments the microorganisms are provided
with an excess of complex organic nutrients and are maintained at optimal pH
and temperature. This enables growth to be very rapid and the results
visualized within a relatively short time period. Such idealized conditions rarely
exist in nature, where microorganisms not only compete with one another for
nutrients but also grow under suboptimal conditions. Particular groups of
organisms are adapted to survive under particular conditions; thus Gram-negative
bacteria tend to be aquatic whereas Gram-positive bacteria tend to prefer more
arid conditions such as the skin. The next two sections of this chapter will
consider separately the physicochemical factors that affect growth and survival
of bacteria, and the availability and nature of the available nutrients.
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