Microbiology Workshop

MICROBIAL COMPETITION

• Heterotrophic microbes compete for organic nutrients.
• Mechanisms for competition

RAPID RESPONSE

• detect food first
• exploit and deplete food
• prevent competitors accessing food
• become dormant

INHIBIT COMPETITORS

• produce secondary metabolites
• inhibit competitors
• food source available to inhibitor producer

OVERCOME INHIBITION

• not affected by secondary metabolites
• use organic inhibitor as food source
• competitive advantage
  - inhibitor producer expending energy
  - inhibited organisms unable to access food source

RAPID REPRODUCTION

• asexual reproduction
  - rapid exploitation of favourable substrate
  - rapid production of new generation to survive unfavourable conditions
• sexual reproduction
  - genetic variation
  - exploitation of slightly different conditions

EXPLOIT SPECIAL NICHE

• only organism to use complex organic compounds
  - slow response rate not a problem
• co-operate with larger organism
  - lichen
  - mycorrhiza
  - zooxanthellae