Select one of the following and discuss:
- Types of nutrients (essential, micro, macro and trace elements)
- Carbon-based nutrition types: heterotroph, autotroph, phototroph, chemotrophs
- Chemical analysis of cell contents
- Methanogens
- Saprobic microbes
- Parasitic microbes
- Diffusion vs. Osmosis
- Facilitated diffusion
- Temperatures: psychrophile, mesophile, thermophile
- Gas requirements: obligate aerobes, obligate anaerobes and facultative anaerobes (+ examples)
- Microaerophiles vs. aerotolerant anaerobes
- Capnophiles
- pH: neutrophiles, acidophiles and alkalinophiles
- osmotic pressure: halophiles and osmotolerant
- barophiles
- Relationships: symbiosis, mutualism, commensalism (do not do parasitism - covered as another topic)
- Synergism and antagonism
- Interactions between microbes and humans
- Biofilms--quorum sensing
- Basis of population growth: binary fission
- Generation time-exponential
- Steps of Growth curve (visual on page 210)
- Other methods to analyze population growth (direct count, automated counters, turbidity)