Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 18, 2026
09:00
Precise, High-throughput Analysis of Bacterial Growth
Published on: September 19, 2017
25.3K
The physiology and ecological implications of efficient growth
Benjamin R K Roller1, Thomas M Schmidt2
11] Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, East Lansing, MI, USA [2] Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA [3] Departments of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
The ISME Journal
|January 10, 2015
Summary
Microbial communities are shaped by selection for growth efficiency, favoring microbes that use resources wisely. Understanding these mechanisms improves microbial community management.
Area of Science:
- Microbial ecology
- Biogeochemistry
- Evolutionary biology
Background:
- Microbial habitats often feature resource limitation and spatial structure, restricting unconstrained growth.
- Selection in these environments favors microbes with high resource utilization efficiency, maximizing progeny per resource unit.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose selection for growth efficiency as a primary driver of microbial community composition.
- To review the influence of resource quality and quantity on heterotrophic growth efficiency.
- To present a conceptual model of innate growth efficiency differences between microbial groups.
Main Methods:
- Literature review on resource influence on microbial growth efficiency.
- Conceptual modeling of microbial growth efficiency.
Main Results:
- Resource quality and quantity significantly impact heterotrophic growth efficiency.
- A conceptual model highlights inherent differences in growth efficiency between oligotrophic and copiotrophic microbes.
Conclusions:
- Selection for efficient resource use is a key factor shaping microbial communities.
- Elucidating mechanisms of efficient growth enhances understanding of microbial selective pressures.
- Improved understanding of microbial efficiency can lead to better microbial community management.
Related Concept Videos
01:25Modeling with Differential Equations
289
Population dynamics can be described mathematically by considering the population size P(t) as a function of time. The rate of change of the population is then represented by the derivative of P(t). A simple assumption is that the rate of growth is proportional to the size of the population itself. This leads to an exponential growth model, where the population increases rapidly without bound. While this is a useful first approximation, it does not reflect realistic long-term...
289
00:57Population Growth
29.7K
Population size is dynamic, increasing with birth rates and immigration, and decreasing with death rates and emigration. In ideal conditions with unlimited resources, populations can increase exponentially, which plots as a J-shaped growth rate curve of population size against time. This type of curve is characteristic of newly-introduced invasive species, or populations that have suffered catastrophic declines and are rebounding.
29.7K
01:01Production Efficiency
19.1K
Net production efficiency (NPE) is the efficiency at which organisms assimilate energy into biomass for the next trophic level. Due to low metabolic rates and less energy spent on thermoregulatory processes, the NPE of ectotherms (cold-blooded animals) is 10 times higher than endotherms (warm-blooded animals).
19.1K
00:51Energy Budgets
11.2K
Organisms must balance energy intake with the energy required for growth, maintenance and reproduction. These trade-offs result in a variety of survivorship and reproductive strategies, including semelparity and iteroparity. Semelparous species, like annual plants, have only one reproductive episode in their lifetimes and consequently have short lifespans. Iteroparous species, by contrast, have many reproductive events during their lifetimes but have relatively few offspring. These two...
11.2K
00:46Trophic Efficiency
25.9K
Trophic level transfer efficiency (TLTE) is a measure of the total energy transfer from one trophic level to the next. Due to extensive energy loss as metabolic heat, an average of only 10% of the original energy obtained is passed on to the next level. This pattern of energy loss severely limits the possible number of trophic levels in a food chain.
25.9K
01:29Oxygen Requirements and Growth Patterns
2.5K
Microorganisms exhibit diverse oxygen requirements and growth patterns driven by their metabolic strategies and environmental adaptations. Oxygen, while essential for many organisms, can also be toxic under certain conditions, shaping how microorganisms grow and survive.Oxygen Requirements of MicroorganismsMicroorganisms are classified based on their ability to use or tolerate oxygen:● Obligate aerobes like Mycobacterium tuberculosis need oxygen for energy production, as it serves as the...
2.5K