Question

The growth of ampicillin resistant bacterial population (strain 1) infected by a virus declines as the virus enters lytic cycle. Then the virus undergoes lysogenic cycle and further remove themselves from bacterial genome during heat shock treatment to proteins. All the bacteria die after some time and only free virus now grow. A second bacterial ampicillin sensitive population (strain 2) is infected by this virus. Similarly, the bacterial population decreases and ampicillin population rebounds.

Which of the following explains the rapid growth of bacterial population as compared to human population?

• A. The bacteria are smaller and thus more susceptible to change.
• B. The bacterial life cycle is short and many new generations can be produced quickly.
• C. Humans do not evolve.
• D. Humans can only reproduce during a portion of their life cycle, whereas bacteria can reproduce throughout their entire life cycle.
• E. Bacteria do not require oxygen to survive.

Answer 1

Answer: (B)

The bacterial life cycle is short and many new generations can be produced quickly.

Growth of bacterial culture is defined as an increase in the number of bacteria in a population rather than in the size of individual cells. The growth of a bacterial population occurs very fast in a geometric or exponential manner: with each division cycle (generation), one cell gives rise to 2 cells, then 4 cells, then 8 cells, then 16, then 32, and so forth.

So the correct answer is option B.