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Protozoan feeding and bacterial wall growth
Author(s) -
Bonomi Antonio,
Fredrickson A. G.
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
biotechnology and bioengineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.136
H-Index - 189
eISSN - 1097-0290
pISSN - 0006-3592
DOI - 10.1002/bit.260180209
Subject(s) - chemostat , tetrahymena pyriformis , azotobacter vinelandii , population , biology , bacterial growth , population model , escherichia coli , bacteria , tetrahymena , biochemistry , genetics , nitrogenase , demography , nitrogen fixation , sociology , gene
Monod's model is often assumed to describe the kinetics of feeding of a protozoan population on a bacterial population in a chemostat. An earlier study (J. L. Jost et al., J. Bacteriol , 113 , 84 (1973)) of the feeding of Tetrahymena pyriformis on either Escherichia coli or Azotobacter vinelandii found that this model correctly predicted the occurrence of sustained oscillations of population densities but made predictions of minimum bacterial population densities that were much smaller than those observed. The earlier study removed the discrepancy between the model and data by replacing Monod's model with a different model. It is shown in the present study that the discrepancy can be explained equally as well if Monod's model for the feeding relation is retained and if, in addition, growth of bacteria on the chemostat walls is allowed for in the model equations.