Continuous Cultivation of Mixtures of Microorganisms

Why not perform research with batch cultures?

Too many things are changing at once in batch culture to analyze causes and effects accurately. For example, consider the succession of species when many are present at the start in a closed system:
  • SUCCESS.BAS translated to Java


    • Continuous cultivation, especially with features such as pH control, reduces the number of variables to offer better chances of analysis. Furthermore, the system may come to steady state or may oscillate reproducibly so that there be no changes at all or changes within fairly narrow ranges. Comparing one steady state with another can correlate one difference with another.

  • Competition
  • Predation
  • Mutualism
  • Commensalism
  • Comments about ecosystems and some terminology
  • Computerized analysis of an ecosystem

    • Additional Links

  • Some definitions
  • Competition, but slower organisms is inoculated continuously
  • Selection of organisms that grow very rapidly
  • Phage infections
  • Introduction to ecosystems
  • An environmental engineer's perspective
  •  Computerized analysis of ecosystem data
  • Some references
  • Quiz after studying this topic
  • Quiz #2
  • Capturing algae by microfiltration can stress the population because some sizes and shapes escape capture. This gives them a large competitive advantage so that they can predominate. After a period of time, them may be too few that can be captured to make their collection worthwhile.


    • while on sabbatical leave at ESB in Porto, Sept. 96