Question
What two of the following can help in creating the best environment for bacteria to multiply? Select the 2 options that apply. Salt Oxygen Moisture Ice
Answer
4.5
(373 Votes)
Theo
Elite · Tutor for 8 years
Answer
Moisture, Oxygen
Explanation
## Step 1: Understand the nature of bacteria:Before giving an answer, it's crucial to first understand that while there are diverse forms of bacteria, most of them require similar basic conditions in order to grow and multiply. ## Step 2: Evaluate which conditions favour bacterial growth: Given the nature of bacteria, we can now analyze each option provided. First, salt: In high concentrations, salt acts as a preservative and can actually inhibit bacterial growth. On the other hand, certain bacteria, known as halophiles, do thrive in salty conditions. But, generally speaking, salt is not a core requirement.Second, oxygen: Some types of bacteria need oxygen to survive and grow; these are known as aerobes. However, there are anaerobes which don't require oxygen for their survival, making the statement situation-dependent. The third option, moisture: Bacteria need moisture to dissolve their food, maintain their metabolism, and to prevent desiccation(which is a severe drying out process that can cause death of the organism). Finally, Ice: Bacteria usually multiply inefficiently in very cold conditions, such as in a freezer with encapsulated ice. Cold temperatures actually reduce and slow down bacterial activity. Therefore, the environment created by cold icy conditions does not favour bacterial growth and multiplication.## Step 3: Choose the Ones that Create the "Best" Environment:Based on our evaluation, it should be noted that while salty and oxygen conditions can selectively favour some bacteria, the options that would create the "best" environment for more types and great numbers of bacteria are moisture and oxygen. This is because the majority of bacteria thrive in moist environments, and amongst most of these, depending on microbiological classification, the ones that cannot survive in the absence of oxygen outnumber the ones that can.