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Microbiology

Explore the tiny organisms that shape bodies, ecosystems, and change.

Follow the mechanism1 / 3

Microbes encounter a condition. Nutrients, temperature, oxygen, pH, and stress determine whether a microbial cell can invest energy in growth and division.

microbial growthexponential · 40 relative cells
Focus the idea
Microbial population growth depends on resources and stressThe population is 40 relative cells at 5.6 hours, the carrying capacity is 71, the effective growth rate is 0.331, and the phase is exponential.population over timeK = 71time →relative cellslagexponentialstationary
phaseexponential
population40
capacity71
doubling time2.1 h

The culture is in exponential: resources set the carrying capacity while the effective rate controls how quickly the population approaches it.

This is a population-level model of one microbial group. Real communities include species interactions, spatial structure, mutation, horizontal gene transfer, and changing environments.

04 / PRACTICE

Make the biology yours.

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Answer from the model, then use the explanation to connect the visual mechanism to the biological rule.

CHECK 1 / 3

What produces exponential growth in the simplest model?