Why Are Bacterial Isolates Are Capable Of Breaking Down Specific Hydrocarbons And How Environmental Factors Control This Process

all treatments contain the same type of soil, are planted in the same size of pan, are exposed to the same amount of sunlight, and are maintained at the same temperature throughout the course of the experiment. ON THE TEST there will be a number of related questions about this section not just the question shown below.

See Table 1 and Flow Chart 1 for results of Bacteria # 1 and Table 2 and Flow Chart 2 for results of Bacteria # 2.

Often scientists work with bacteria that do not come in a labeled test tube— for example, bacterial samples taken from infected human tissue or from the soil—and the scientist must then identify the unknown microorganism in order to understand what behavior to expect from the organism, for example, a certain type of infection or antibiotic resistance. However, because of the relatively few forms of bacteria compared to animals and because of the lack of bacterial fossil records due to their asexually reproductive nature, the taxonomy used to classify animals cannot be applied to bacteria (Brown 275). In order to classify unknown bacteria, a variety of physiological and metabolic tests are available to narrow a sample down from the fathomless number of possibilities into a more manageable range. Once these tests have been performed, the researcher can consult Bergey’s Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, a systematically arranged and continually updated collection of all known bacteria based on their structure, metabolism, and other attributes.

Massive cleanup efforts were initiated within a few weeks of the spill and they continued at reduced levels for the next three years. Approximately 14% of the spilled oil was recovered by cleanup crews (Newsweek, p.50). As a result of these efforts and natural weathering, little oil from the spill remained in the affected area by 1992. However, according to the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration some oil residues are still found under the ocean surface in areas sheltered from wind and waves. Yet, these residues are highly weathered and the toxicity is reduced to levels tolerable by organisms in the water (7). Nonetheless, the magnitude and timing of the Exxon Valdez oil spill raised immediate concerns about possible effects on marine fish and wildlife and prospects that these effects might be long lasting.

There are many reasons for identifying an unknown bacterium. The purpose of this exercise was to identify an unknown bacterium from a liquid culture. We chose our unknown bacteria from a rack of test tubes with several different species of bacteria inside. I wanted to pick an unknown bacteria with a number easy to remember so I pick the test tube labeled “745”. Procedures were followed as stated in the lab manual written by Dr. Pedro J.A. Gutierrez.

coli bacteria affects bacterial growth and gene expression in several environmental conditions. To begin, two micro test tubes were labeled; one with +pGLO and one with -pGLO. 250 µl of transformation solution was added to each microtube, with use of a sterile pipette. Afterwards, the pipette was placed in a bleach solution and the microtubes were placed into the foam rack and onto crushed ice. Next, a colony of bacteria was removed from the starter plate with a sterile loop and thoroughly mixed within the +pGLO microtube. This step was repeated with a second sterile loop and the -pGLO microtube. After their use, all loops were placed in the bleach solution for decontamination and the microtubes were returned to the foam rack and ice.

Bioremediation is the process in which microorganisms such as bacteria, yeasts, molds, and filamentous fungi are introduced into the spills. The introduction of these microorganisms assists in altering and metabolizing various chemical compounds present in oil. When the microorganisms metabolize these certain compounds it significantly reduces the time it takes for the oil biodegradation to occur.

On June 25th, 2015 I chose the test tube labeled #19. This test tube contained an unknown bacterium, and the purpose was to determine the unknown bacterium by the end of the semester. Throughout the course, I ran a series of differential tests that would lead me to discovering the characteristics of my unknown. These tests that I will discuss in this paper are vital to understanding the biochemical mechanisms that different bacteria can perform, therefore helping me identify my bacterium based on molecular differences. During the course of this paper, I will refer to my unknown as unk#19. Also, I would note that aseptic technique was performed throughout the entire experiment and subcultures were regularly made.

In the first part of the experiment, we plated donor bacteria, which was chloramphenicol resistant, on a Nal plate. Because no donor bacteria would grow on a Nal plate, this was a way of ensuring that the sample of donor E. Coli bacteria was pure.

The identification of bacteria is a fundamental objective of microbiologists. It is essential to distinguish specific bacterial properties to understand the environment, physiology and disease. As new bacterial species emerge and existing ones evolve into different strains, it is imperative that microbiologists continue to isolate bacteria from the field, identify their findings and research newly discovered forms. Their discoveries can then be used to evaluate the types of microbial life that may be found in certain environments and the corresponding benefits or risks to those that dwell in those areas.

All it takes is one single cell to start a pure bacterial colony. This lab allows researchers to observe isolated highly concentrated samples of bacteria, to view their traits and to isolate pure colony samples for use in future experiments. Unfortunately successful isolation was not achieved in this lab. Possible sources of error could be that the streaking was too close together resulting in an unsuccessful isolation, the loop was not flamed adequately which permitted carryover of bacteria from one sector to the next or forgetting to let the loop cool before touching the agar. To expand this lab, researchers could collect a single colony from an agar plate and grow it inside a nutrient tube to observe the oxygen nutrient requirements for that specific sample of

For instance, Rufe, who is a scientist, states that we have not developed an approach that can clean more than 3 to 5 percent of the spilled oil” (Mufson, 2012). Furthermore, In the Gulf of Mexico, although 205.8 million gallons of oil have been spilled, just 51.8 million gallons have been collected, which equals approximately 25 percent. Moreover, in order to clean the Gulf from the oil spills almost 2 million gallons of toxic dispersants were used. Unfortunately, the toxic dispersants did not truly purify the spilled oil, but fractured them into tinier particles. As a consequence, that may make the oil more harmful for some ocean animals and plants ( A Center for Biological Diversity Report, 2008). However, with the increasing of offshore oil drilling accidents, and with no solution to solve the problem efficiently. The hazardous impact is not going to affect only on animals and plants. It might affect people who depend on the polluted area for food, ecological enrichment, and entertainment ( A Center for Biological Diversity Report,

The unknown bacteria #9 produced negative results for H2S in the SIM test tube. The medium stayed semi-clear and did not turn black.

Another purpose of this experiment is to stress the importance of knowing the identity of a microorganism. Knowing the species of microorganism present in a sample provides a

Six experiments were carried in this report concerning the effect that different environmental factors have on microbial growth. The results were recorded into tables where (+) symbolises growth and (–) symbolises no growth.