How could you tell if one of the colonies on your pure plate was a contaminant from the environment and did not come from your original culture? Bacteria are much easier to observe on a plate.ģ. It just looks cloudy where the numbers are concentrated, or where they like the oxygen level the most at. In a broth, the organisms are hard to see.

In an agar plate the colonies are easier to distinguish because they are on a solid surface and you can see the different colors and shapes the bacteria form, however, they are densely packed into a small area. Are bacteria easier to observe on a plate or in a broth? How do the bacteria look on the plate as compared to the broth? Colonies are important to study to determine rate of growth, how bacteria spread, what type of environment is needed to grow, what bacteria they compete with, and so much more.Ģ. What is a colony and how does a colony relate to a bacterial cell? Why are colonies important in the study of microbiology?Ī colony is a visible mass of bacteria from a single mother cell.

I might use more bleach in the toilet! More importantly food surfaces like the counter if the food is not being cooked at a high enough temperature.Įxercise 2: Isolating Individual Coloniesġ. How will the results in Data Table 1 influence your treatment of tested surfaces in your home? There were a lot of bacteria from the toilet, and the toothbrush, but the toilet had a wider array and more, so I believe this confirms.ĥ. I think the toothbrush will harbor more bacteria, but the toilet will harbor more pathogens because e coli and other disease-causing pathogens are more commonly down the digestive tract. Based on the results recorded in Data Table 1, which surface is most likely to harbor pathogens? Does this conform to your hypothesis? Without cleaning the pathogens can stay there until they are either dead or infected a living object.Ĥ. How do fomites contribute to the spread of disease?įomites contribute to disease by harboring pathogens that could be pathogenic. Indirect transmission involves a pathogen being transmitted by fomite, droplet, or vector, while direct transmission involves a pathogen being transmitted by direct contact, like a kiss or handshake.ģ. How does indirect transmission of disease differ from direct transmission? Pathogens are microscopic agents that can cause disease.Ģ. What is an infectious disease? What is the role of a pathogen in the spread of disease?Īn infectious disease is disruption of the normal state of a plant or animal not due to accident, natural cause, or aging. List the major similarities and differences between the two.I believe the toilet will have to most colonies as well as the most diversity of bacteriaġ. Compare and contrast the bean microcosm and the aquatic setup. (For example, algae may have grown and reproduced in your setup or algae from the atmosphere may have colonized your setup.)Ĭ. In the aquatic setup, did you observe any differences in the initial versus final setup? Describe any reproduction or colonization you observed. How did light availability affect the community that you observed in the bean microcosms? Use your observations to support your answer.ī. Initial Observations of the Aquatic Setupĭata Table 5.Final Observations and Photograph.ĭata Table 6.Microscopic Community of Aquatic Setup.Ī. Are Hydra considered a microorganism? Explain your answer.ĭata Table 4.Initial Observations and Photograph. Give an argument as to why a Daphnia might also be considered a macroorganism.Į. Explain the terms “micro” and “crustacean”. Daphnia are considered to be a microcrustacean. What habitat do the organisms of Exercise 1 share?ĭ. Create a food chain for the Hydra, Daphnia, and bacteria.

Do the Hydra and Daphnia have the same organs for motility? Use the information collected in Data Table 1 to support your answer.ī. Life History Descriptions of Bacteria, Daphnia, and Hydra.Ī. The intent is to facilitate students’ writing of lab reports by providing this information in an editable file which can be sent to an instructor.ĭata Table 1. The Lab Report Assistant is simply a summary of the experiment’s questions, diagrams if needed, and data tables that should be addressed in a formal lab report. This document is not meant to be a substitute for a formal laboratory report.

Data table 10lab report assistant