If you’ve ever wondered how to grow bacteria and fungi, this article is for you. In it, we’ll discuss the different substrates used to cultivate these microbes and their effects on their abundance. We’ll also look at the effects of soil pH and temperature on the microbial communities they inhabit. Hopefully, this information will be useful when you’re beginning your own culture project.
Different media for culturing bacteria
The ingredients of culture media vary based on the particular microorganism and the test being performed. Most commonly, the media consist of nutrient broth mixed with agar. Petri dishes may be solid or semi-solid and enriched with specific components to promote to grow bacteria or fungi. The pH value of these cultures is an important factor in determining which microorganisms will thrive in the culture medium.
Some cultures of bacteria and fungi require a high carbohydrate and nitrogen source for growth. Some of the most common types of media include natural and synthetic cultures. Natural media are those composed of ingredients found naturally in soil or other biofilms. Some are simple to prepare, including potato dextrose agar and corn meal agar. Synthetic media, on the other hand, are known to have specific composition and can be used to culture bacteria and fungi.There is another way which is used to grow bacteria through fermenters.
Different substrates for culturing fungi
Cultures of fungi and bacteria may be grown on a variety of different substrates. For example, a fermented substrate, which is made from agricultural waste (e.g., horse and chicken manure) is suitable for commercial cultivation of basidiomycetes, which are fungi that produce fructification products. These cultures may also include a significant microbial load that plays an important role in fructification.
Using four different carbon sources to culture fungi and bacteria revealed that substrate composition had a major impact on the composition of the communities. Simple reducing sugars enriched the communities of specialist fermentative bacteria, while complex lignocellulose substrates favored functionally redundant lignocellulolytic bacteria. Antibiotic-treated cultures on crude plant material were more likely to select anaerobic fungi, including the bulbous fungus Caecomyces sp.
Biological interactions between fungi and bacteria are highly complex and range from antagonism to competition to mutualism. Different cultivated species are associated with distinct bacterial communities and at specific stages of growth. These communities differ significantly and may influence the production of cultivated mushrooms. For example, certain bacteria are associated with certain kinds of mushrooms, while others are incompatible with them. If these two communities do not mix well, a fungal community may not survive or grow to its full potential.
Effects of soil pH on abundance of bacteria and fungi
To understand the impact of soil pH on the composition of bacterial communities, we modeled their growth rates across different pH gradients. To do so, we used a combination of soil pH, EC, and air and soil temperatures. Several other factors, such as nutrient concentrations and EC, were also used to model the abundance of bacteria and fungi. Interestingly, soil pH has a significant impact on the abundance of two distinct classes of bacteria: Gp6 and Gp2.
The pH gradient between the two groups was correlated negatively with fungal growth. Between pH 8.3 and 4.5, fungal growth increased fivefold as an exponential function. As the pH decreased, fungal growth dropped sharply to five pmol acetate g-1 h-1. The highest levels of fungal growth were observed at pH 4.5. However, the ratio was not significant below this value.
Effects of temperature on abundance of bacteria and fungi
Microbial communities in the air are affected by climate change in many ways. The magnitude of warming, mean annual precipitation, and elevation were significant predictors of microbial abundance. The warming effect was positive for bacteria and fungi, but negative for Actinomycetes. However, the warming effects were not significant for plants, which showed a mixed response to temperature. There was also significant between-group heterogeneity, with differences of up to 15.5% and 6.2% among species.
In addition, increased temperature affected the biofilm accumulation on HDPE pipes, which resulted in greater discolouration when simulated flushing was performed. Material mobilisation was linearly related to the imposed force, but the stronger the biofilm layer, the slower the accumulation. Temperature also affected the structure of bacterial and fungal communities in the water. It also favoured the relative abundance of Psudomonas and Fusarium, two fungi that have an enhanced ability to promote biofilm development. For more, stay connected with science blogs.
