Topic 12: Microbial Metabolism

Van Leeuwenhoek saw microorganisms in wine

Pasteur demonstrated that the microbes were living organisms

• “It is impossible that the organic matter of the newly formed ferments [microorganisms] contain a single carbon atom which has not been derived from the fermented substance.”

Metabolism: chemical reactions that occur within all living organisms

Metabolic processes involve enzymes.

• enzymes: proteins that catalyze biological reactions

Majority of enzymes function inside a cell - endoenzymes

• exoenzymes: enzymes that are released from the cell to catalyze reactions outside of the cell

Aerobic: use of metabolic pathways in presence of oxygen

Anaerobic: use of metabolic pathways in the absence of oxygen

Bacteria share the same colony and cell morphology, additional factors, such as metabolism, are used to identify them.

Studying the metabolic activities of microbes helps understand their role in ecology.