Bacteria Respiration

Although it may be hard to believe, bacteria breathe one way or another. Respiration can be a form of energy that keeps a bacterium going through activities and surviving. Bacteria are pretty complex organisms though and have many preferences over respiration. Respiration also is linked with their ability to grow and reproduce. The better the climate is to their liking, the easier and faster they will reproduce. That's why when growing bacteria, it is important to know their preferences in temperature, surrounding environment, and nutrition.

Respiration is the process to break down food molecules to create energy using oxygen. Some bacteria use respiration in order to obtain some of the energy that they need. Respiration is not the only process that bacteria use to obtain energy though. Some bacteria use the process of fermentation which is energy production without oxygen.

There are many different sorts of processes that bacteria use for energy production. Obligate aerobes are bacteria that need a constant supply of oxygen in order to survive much like us. Without oxygen they would die easily.

There are some bacteria, however, that will die when exposed to oxygen as they do not need it at all. These bacteria are known as the obligate anaerobes. To them, oxygen may be toxic. Because obligate anaerobes can only survive in areas without oxygen, they are hard to study and discover as they die out soon before we reach them. Watch out for the obligate anaerobes though. If tridium botulinum finds their way into your canned foods, they can create a toxin that will be able to cause you paralysis. This toxin is known Botulism. Although rare, it is deadly!