Prepare for the Microbial Metabolism Test. Utilize flashcards and multiple choice questions with helpful hints and detailed explanations. Ace your test with ease!

Multiple Choice

Which of the following are examples of autotrophic microbes?

Autotrophic microbes manufacture their own organic carbon from inorganic carbon, using energy from light or from inorganic chemical reactions. Nostoc, a cyanobacterium, performs photosynthesis, capturing light energy to convert CO2 into sugars. Volvox, a green alga, also photosynthesizes, fixing CO2 into organic matter. These abilities make them autotrophs. The other organisms rely on preformed organic carbon from their surroundings and do not fix CO2, so they are not autotrophs. Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus subtilis grow on organic substrates rather than by converting CO2 into organic matter.

Autotrophic microbes manufacture their own organic carbon from inorganic carbon, using energy from light or from inorganic chemical reactions. Nostoc, a cyanobacterium, performs photosynthesis, capturing light energy to convert CO2 into sugars. Volvox, a green alga, also photosynthesizes, fixing CO2 into organic matter. These abilities make them autotrophs. The other organisms rely on preformed organic carbon from their surroundings and do not fix CO2, so they are not autotrophs. Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus subtilis grow on organic substrates rather than by converting CO2 into organic matter.