MICROBIOLOGY

N U TR I TI O N

Nutrition is a process by which chemical substances

called nutrients are acquired from the environment and
used in cellular activities such as metabolism and
growth.

MODES OF NUTRITION

Autotrophic mode- Bacteria prepare their own food

Heterotrophic mode- Bacteria consume food
prepared by other organisms
N U TR I EN TS
Any nourishing substance assimilated by an organism, and
required for growth, repair, and normal metabolism.

MACRONUTRIENTS- Required in larger amounts

e.g. C,O,H,N,S,K,P,Na etc
MICRONUTRIENTS- Required in smaller
amounts e.g. Mn, Co, Cu, Mo, Zn etc
MACRONUTRIENTS

The first six (C, O, H, N, S, and P) are components of

carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. The
remaining macroelements play a variety of other roles.
Potassium (K) is required for activity by a number of enzymes
Magnesium (Mg) serves as a cofactor for many enzymes,
complexes with ATP, and stabilizes ribosomes and cell
membranes
Iron (Fe) is a part of cytochromes and a cofactor for enzymes
and electron-carrying proteins.
MICRONUTRIENTS

The micronutrients manganese, zinc, cobalt, molybdenum,

nickel, and copper are needed by most cells in trace amounts
Micronutrients are normally a part of enzymes and cofactors,
and they aid in the catalysis of reactions and maintenance of
protein structure.
Zinc is present at the active site of some enzymes but is also
involved in the association of regulatory and catalytic
subunits in E. coli aspartate carbamoyltransferase
Molybdenum is required for nitrogen fixation, and cobalt is a
component of vitamin B12.
MICRONUTRIENTS
Diatoms need silicic acid (H4SiO4) to construct
their beautiful cell walls of silica [(SiO2)n].
CARBON, HYDROGEN &
O X Y G EN R EQ U I R EM EN TS

The requirements for carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen often are

satisfied together.
Carbon is required to construct all the fundamental organic
molecules. Simultaneously except carbon dioxide (used by
photoautotrophs), all other carbon sources also provide
hydrogen and oxygen.
CLASSIFICATION ON THE BASIS OF ENERGY SOURCE

On the basis of energy source organisms are designated as:

Phototrophs:
The organisms which can utilize light as an energy source are known as phototrophs. These
bacteria gain energy from light.
Chemotrophs:
These bacteria gain energy from chemical compounds. They cannot carry out
photosynthesis.
 O N THE BASIS OF ELECTRON
SOURCE
On the basis of electron source organisms are designated as:
Lithotrophs:
Some organisms can use reduced inorganic compounds as electron donors and
are termed as Lithotrophs. They can be Chemolithotrophs(e.g. nitrifying bacteria,
Nitrobacter & sulfur bacteria) and Photolithotrophs (green sulfur bacteria ).
Organotrophs:
Some organisms can use organic compounds as electron donors and are termed
as organotrophs.
Some can be Chemoorganotrophs and Photoorganotrophs.
 PHOTOAUTOTROPHS
A.K.A PHOTOLITHOTROPHIC AUTOTROPHS / PHOTO-
AUTOTROPHS

These bacteria capture the energy of sunlight and transform it

into the chemical energy.
In this process, CO2 is reduced to carbohydrates.
Eukaryotic algae and cyanobacteria employ water as the
electron donor and release oxygen.
Purple and green sulfur bacteria cannot oxidize water but extract
electrons from inorganic donors like hydrogen, hydrogen sulfide,
and elemental sulfur.
Some photoautotrophs have Chlorophyll pigment in the cell and
its main function is to capture sunlight e.g., Cyanobacteria
Pleurocapsales & Rhodobacter.
 PHOTOHETEROTROPH
S
A.K.A Photo-organotrophic heterotrophs

These bacteria can utilize light energy but cannot use CO2
as their sole source of carbon.
These are common inhabitants of polluted lakes and
streams.
Some of these bacteria also can grow as photoautotrophs
with molecular hydrogen as an electron donor
Purple non-sulphur bacteria (Rhodospirillum,
Rhodomicrobium).
 CHEMOHETEROTROPHS
A.K.A CHEMO-ORGANOTROPHIC HETEROTROPHS

Chemoheterotrophs obtain both carbon and

energy from organic compounds such as
carbohydrates, lipids and proteins.
These are also known as ‘Rock Eaters’ or
‘Stone Eaters’.
Examples include Rhizobia, Frankia,
Salmonella, Pseudomonas
It should be noted that essentially all
pathogenic microorganisms are
chemoheterotrophs. e.g. Salmonella
 Chemoautotrophs
A.K.A CHEMOLITHOTROPHIC AUTOTROPHS

These oxidize reduced inorganic compounds such as iron, nitrogen, or

sulfur molecules to derive both energy and electrons for biosynthesis.
Carbon dioxide is the carbon source.
A few chemolithotrophs can derive their carbon from organic sources
and thus are heterotrophic.
Chemolithotrophs contribute greatly to the chemical transformations of
elements (e.g., the conversion of ammonia to nitrate or sulfur to sulfate)
that continually occur in the ecosystem
E.g. Nitrobacter, Nitrosomonas & sulfur bacteria
 MIXOTROPHS

A mixotroph is an organism that can use a mix of

different sources of energy and carbon, instead of
having a single trophic mode on the continuum from
complete autotrophy at one end to heterotrophy at
the other.
Possible combinations
are photo- and chemotrophy, litho- and
organotrophy
, auto- and heterotrophy or other combinations of
these.
E.g. Ectothiorhodospira
CLASSIFICATION (ENERGY SOURCE & NUTRITION MODE)
BACTERI
A