How Bacteria Obtain Food

Food Sources

• Bacteria have evolved to live in the harshest environments on Earth and so are capable of eating any organic material. For example, a piece of rotting flesh is a colossal food source for bacteria allowing the colony to grow rapidly. As bacteria can live everywhere, they tend to feed off whatever is in that environment. For example, bacteria in the human body eat what the person eats.

Feeding

• Bacteria absorb food through their porous cell walls and process it using enzymes. This converts the food into glucose, which powers the bacteria. The majority of the enzymes produced are unique to a specific food the bacteria eat. Some species of bacteria can produce lots of enzymes and so can eat a wide range of foods, others produce very few enzymes and may only have a single food source.

Hydrolysis

• Bacteria, like animals, require water to feed. As bacteria do not drink in the same way as animals, it has to absorb the liquid, normally from what it is eating. A molecule of water is required for every step in the conversion process of food to glucose.

Respiration

• Some types of bacteria also require oxygen to break down food, while others do not and some are killed by exposure to oxygen. The environment the bacteria live in is key to how they evolve. Where oxygen is available, it is used, otherwise, oxygen will act like a poison.

Autotrophs

• Some bacteria feed in a similar way to plants. They absorb the sun's light and convert it into energy. This energy is in the form of glucose, or sugar. Although the method is completed in a different way, this is very similar to photosynthesis.