Environmental effects on bacterial growth Lab Report

Environmental effects on bacterial growth - Lab Report Example The central question for the experiment was: Do environmental factors limit the growth of bacteria. Due to the comprehensive nature of the term environmental factors, I chose to carry an experiment on the effects of temperature, oxygen concentration, osmotic pressure and the availability of nutrients on the growth of bacteria, as they are the major factors that affect the growth of the organisms. My main hypothesis for the experiment was that temperature, oxygen concentration, nutrients availability, osmotic pressure could limit the growth of bacteria and the optimum growth of the organism will be achieved at temperatures of 37 degrees Celsius. This is the core reason for my preference to carry out this experiment and use the stated hypothesis. My knowledge of temperature, oxygen concentration, nutrients availability and osmotic pressure availability or absence are capable of killing most of the organisms including bacteria pushed me to carry out the experiment. Secondly, the knowledge that the bacteria that exist in the polar habitats are different from those that grows in the temperate climates with different pressure and oxygen levels also made me carry out the experiment. During the experiment, different procedures were carried out labeled from procedure A, B, C, D and E. Procedure A was to test the tolerance of bacteria for osmotic pressure, procedures C and D are to examine the use of nutrients. Procedure E was to test oxygen tolerance and use by the bacteria. For procedures A and B, the width of the streak line of growth for each organism is recorded and the rate of growth for each recorded over time. For procedures C and D that are on the use of nutrients by the organism, the turbidity level of each organism is determined qualitatively and a subjective 0-5 range over which turbidity is estimated. Procedure D is done on biofilm formation. After qualitatively determining the turbidity levels qualitatively,