Streak Plate Activity Report

Observations and Results

1. Define the term “colony” as it relates to bacterial growth on solid media.

2. Examine your isolation streak plate. (Attach a photo of your streak plate – original image)
Did you obtain single, isolated colony? (Upload another photo, draw circle over your single,
isolated colony).

3. How can you determine if the colony that you chose to isolate is a pure culture?
4. Does each discrete colony represent the growth of one cell? Explain your answer. Why can a
single colony on a plate be used to start a pure culture?

5. What colony characteristics can be used for differentiation of bacterial species?

6. In the streak-plate technique, how are microorganisms diluted and spread out to form
individual colonies?

7. Which area of a streak plate will contain the greatest amount of growth? The least amount
of growth? Explain your answers.

8. How can a streak plate become contaminated?