What is an anaerobic organism?
Q: What is an anaerobic organism?
A: An anaerobic organism is any living thing that does not need oxygen for growth.
Q: What is the difference between an obligate anaerobe and a facultative anaerobe?
A: Obligate anaerobes will die when exposed to atmospheric levels of oxygen, whereas facultative anaerobes can use oxygen when it is present.
Q: What is an aerotolerant organism?
A: An aerotolerant organism can survive in the presence of oxygen, but they are anaerobic because they do not use oxygen as a terminal electron acceptor.
Q: What is a microaerophile?
A: Microaerophiles are organisms that may use oxygen, but only at low concentrations (low micromolar range); their growth is inhibited by normal oxygen concentrations (approximately 200 micromolar).
Q: What is a nanaerobe?
A: Nanaerobes are organisms that cannot grow in the presence of micromolar concentrations of oxygen, but can grow with and benefit from nanomolar concentrations of oxygen.
Q: What are the different ways that anaerobic organisms can generate energy?
A: Obligate anaerobes may use fermentation or anaerobic respiration. In the presence of oxygen, facultative anaerobes use aerobic respiration; without oxygen some of them ferment, some use anaerobic respiration. Aerotolerant organisms are strictly fermentative. Microaerophiles carry out aerobic respiration, and some of them can also do anaerobic respiration.
Q: Do some anaerobic bacteria produce dangerous toxins?
A: Yes, some anaerobic bacteria produce toxins (e.g., tetanus or botulinum toxins) that are highly dangerous to higher organisms, including humans.
