Bacteria Essay

Bacteria are small microorganisms that are found in all environments, they are the building blocks of all life. Bacteria are ubiquitous, they are present everywhere. Bacteria have been present on earth for approximately 3.5 billion years (1, p.1). Bacteria serve a variety of different functions that are ultimately vital to life but can also threaten human life. Bacteria may be small, but our life is dependent upon their activity and growth (1, p.1). Since bacteria are so small and our life is dependent upon their functions and activities, it is important that they are able to divide and reproduce. Bacteria cannot grow and divide unless it is in a favorable environment (2). Each bacterial species has its own specific, optimal requirements for maximal growth and reproduction. In order to deem an environment favorable, it must have the correct oxygen availability, temperature, nutrients, moisture, salinity, and osmotic pressure. Other factors, such as the presence of toxic products can stunt or harm the growth of bacteria.

Bacteria reproduce by a process called binary fission. Binary fission is a process in which a

This is due to Staphylococcus aureus being a facultative anaerobe (6). Facultative anaerobes are organisms that are able to grow with oxygen or without oxygen (5). Although, Staphylococcus aureus is a facultative anaerobe, it does not show an increase in growth when there is a lack of oxygen. Therefore, it grows best when oxygen is present. In both BHI/No shaken and NA/No shaken, there is a lack of oxygen which in turn stunts the growth of Staphylococcus aureus. It is important to understand the generation time of a species to be able calculate the time for one cell to divide into two cells (4). Generation time can be used to determine what effect temperature has on a species. If the temperature is optimal, the species will divide at a constant