9781422276150

Nutrition in Bacteria In order to live, bacteria obtain their nutrition from the environment in which they reside. In some cases, that

environment is the human body. Most bacteria are heterotrophic, which means they cannot manufacture their own food. Autotrophic bacteria, on the other hand, can manufacture their own food by the processes of photosynthesis and chemosynthesis . Reproduction Bacteria can reproduce outside or inside the body, and cause infections. The genetic material of bacteria is organized in a circular strand of DNA . Cell envelope FtsZ ring

Bacteria grow to a fixed size and then reproduce or divide by binary fission in order to yield identical daughter cells. Some bacteria reproduce by budding or fragmentation .

Binary Fission

DNA

Some bacteria are capable of specialized types of genetic recombination, which involve the transfer of nucleic acid by individual contact (conjugation), exposure to nucleic acid remnants of dead bacteria (transformation), exchange of plasmid genes, or by a viral agent (transduction). Under unfavorable conditions, some bacteria develop highly resistant spores with thickened coverings, called endospores. Benefits of Bacteria Some bacteria are good for the body. For instance, bacteria living in our intestines produce several enzymes necessary for the building up

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