Microbial growth refers to an increase in the number of cells rather than an increase in cell size. It is the process by which microbes, such as bacteria and archaea, divide and reproduce asexually. The growth of microbes can be influenced by various factors such as temperature, pH, nutrients, and oxygen availability/09%3A_Microbial_Growth).
In a synecological, true-to-nature situation in which more than one bacterial species is present, the growth of microbes is more dynamic and continual. Liquid is not the only laboratory environment for bacterial growth. Spatially structured environments such as biofilms or agar surfaces present additional complex growth models.
The growth of a microbial population typically passes through four distinct, sequential phases of growth that form the standard bacterial growth curve: lag phase, logarithmic (log) phase, stationary phase, and death phase. In the lab, cultures usually pass through all growth phases, but in nature, nutrients continuously enter the cells environment at low concentrations, and populations grow continually at a low but steady rate.
It is important to have knowledge of microbial growth, so we can predict or control their growth under particular conditions/09%3A_Microbial_Growth). Depending on the situation, microbial growth could be a good thing for humans, such as yeast growing in wort to make beer, or a bad thing, such as bacteria growing in your throat causing strep throat/09%3A_Microbial_Growth).
