Answer to Question #93363 in Microbiology for Kylie

Question

Discuss external factors that may influence bacterial growth.

Answer 1

The growth of bacteria is influenced by a variety of physical factors in the environment, such as temperature, pH, osmotic pressure, and concentration of oxygen. In an environment where there is a coexistence of fluctuating environmental conditions, it results in a dramatic shift of population because of the varying growth rates of various microorganisms. Alternatively, each microbial species has a set of optimal conditions under which it grows. However, due to the wide fluctuation of the natural environment, bacterial growth has adopted tolerance to a variety of environmental situations. In the laboratory setting where conditions have control, it is possible to get optimum growth for specific bacterial.