Are Bacteria Aerobic Or Anaerobic? 13 Facts you should know

Bacteria are unicellular organisms which are found everywhere on the Earth. They are found to be various shapes or sizes like rods, commas, and spheres. They differ in nutrition, whether aerobic or anaerobic, etc.

Bacteria are aerobic or anaerobic. It depends on the conditions where they live in. It can be either in the presence or absence of living organisms. In this article, we will discuss are bacteria aerobic or anaerobic in detail.

are bacteria aerobic or anaerobic
Are bacteria aerobic or anaerobic from Wikipedia

How are bacteria aerobic?

When we say bacteria are aerobic, it means that these bacteria can only grow or survive in the presence of oxygen.

The aerobic bacteria take nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon and, as a result, give carbon dioxide. They are bacteria aerobic or anaerobic.

Are all bacteria aerobic?

As we know, only those bacteria are called aerobic and can survive only in the presence of oxygen.

Other than that, they are classified into other types. The examples are- Lactobacillus, Nocardia, etc. 

Are most bacteria aerobic or anaerobic?  

Most bacteria are aerobic as we compare to anaerobic bacteria. Anaerobic bacteria are found only to be 5 – 15%. They are bacteria aerobic or anaerobic.

When we say bacteria are aerobic, it means that these bacteria can only grow or survive in the presence of oxygen. The aerobic bacteria take nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon and, as a result, give carbon dioxide. They are bacteria aerobic or anaerobic.

are bacteria aerobic or anaerobic
Are bacteria aerobic or anaerobic from Wikipedia

Which type of bacteria are aerobic?

The aerobic bacteria are of following types which are given below.

Obligate aerobes

These bacteria types are strict aerobes that can only survive when oxygen is present. In the absence of oxygen, they die. They use oxygen as an acceptor of terminal electrons and, as a result, oxidize sugars and fats. This helps in generating ATP, which is used as an energy source. These bacteria contain enzymes like catalase for aerobic respiration.

Facultative aerobes

They are not strict aerobic bacteria. They do not always depend on oxygen requirements. They use anaerobic bacteria methods and generate ATP which acts as a energy source. We can say that these bacteria can also survive in the absence of oxygen. When we say bacteria are aerobic, it means that these bacteria can only grow or survive in the presence of oxygen. The aerobic bacteria take nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon and, as a result, give carbon dioxide. They are bacteria aerobic or anaerobic.

Microaerophiles

As the name shows, these types of bacteria require a micro or small amount of oxygen to grow or survive in the environment. They need small oxygen demand to produce ATP, and ATP is used as an energy source for many processes and functioning. When we say bacteria are aerobic, it means that these bacteria can only grow or survive in the presence of oxygen. The aerobic bacteria take nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon and, as a result, give carbon dioxide. They are bacteria aerobic or anaerobic.

Aerotolerant Aerobes

These bacteria do not contain posses enzymes for aerobic respiration. It means they can also survive without oxygen.

are bacteria aerobic or anaerobic
Are bacteria aerobic or anaerobic from Pixabay

Are all bacteria anaerobic?

We cannot define all bacteria as anaerobic. These are the bacteria that do not require oxygen for surviving. They do not contain an enzyme for aerobic respiration. These bacteria produce acetate ions. In laboratory, in cell medium which is in liquid, these bacteria are found at the bottom of the medium since there concentration of oxygen is low or absent.

They are not strict aerobic bacteria. They do not always depend on oxygen requirements. They use anaerobic bacteria methods and thus produce ATP, which can be used as an energy source. We can also say that these bacteria live without any requirement of oxygen.

As the name shows, these types of bacteria require a micro or small amount of oxygen to grow or survive in the environment. They need small oxygen demand to produce ATP, and ATP is used as an energy source for many processes and functioning. These bacteria do not contain posses enzymes for aerobic respiration. It means they can also survive without oxygen.

We cannot define all bacteria as anaerobic. They do not contain an enzyme for aerobic respiration. These bacteria produce acetate ions.

are bacteria aerobic or anaerobic
Are bacteria aerobic or anaerobic from Flickr

Which type of bacteria is anaerobic?

They are divided into two types. These include –

Obligate anaerobes

These bacteria are strict anaerobes.Since they are strict anaerobes, they do not live n the presence of oxygen, even in the small concentration. These bacteria need the absence of oxygen for growth and survival. These bacteria depend on substances like terminal electron acceptors to produce ATP, which acts as an energy source.

Facultative anaerobes

These type of anaerobic bacteria can survive in the present of oxygen and absence of oxygen also. These types of bacteria are used in the fermentation processes.

How are bacteria anaerobic?

Bacteria are considered anaerobic when they can not survive in oxygen-rich conditions.

Only those bacteria that come under this category are anaerobic. These types of bacteria are found in the gastrointestinal tract of human beings.

How do anaerobic bacteria breathe?

When we talk about the survival of anaerobic bacteria, they survive by the process of anaerobic respiration. They use electron acceptors which do not have molecular oxygen in them.

These bacteria use hydrogen from hydrogenosomes and this hydrogen is used as ATP, and it can use as an energy source for anaerobic bacteria.

are bacteria aerobic or anaerobic
Are bacteria aerobic or anaerobic image from Flickr

Are probiotic bacteria aerobic or anaerobic?

Probiotic bacteria are good bacteria which usually help the body be healthy.

The probiotic bacteria are anaerobic. Example- Lactobacillus, Bifidobacter, Lacticaseibacillus, etc.

Are gram-negative bacteria aerobic or anaerobic?

Gram-negative bacteria are usually anaerobic and aerobic.

They varies on the type of shape and othe feauture too. Some rod or coccus-shaped bacteria are gram-negative and anaerobic, while some are aerobic. It varies from one organism to another.

Are nitrogen-fixing bacteria aerobic or anaerobic?

Nitrogen-fixing bacteria are considered anaerobic.

The nitrogen-fixing bacteria undergo the process of nitrogen fixation, which is an anaerobic process itself. They also contain an enzyme called nitrogenase present in a high amount.

Are lactic acid bacteria aerobic or anaerobic?

Since it varies from one organism to another, in most cases, lactic acid bacteria are found to be anaerobic.

They convert carbohydrates into lactic acid without the presence of oxygen. Therefore, they are referred as anaerobic bacteria.

Are gram-positive bacteria aerobic or anaerobic?

Gram-positive bacteria are those bacteria which contain thick peptidoglycan bacteria.

They can be either aerobic or anaerobic. Examples of anaerobic gram-positive are Bacillus, Eubacterium, Lactobacillus, etc. Examples of aerobic gram-negative are Mycobacterium,Corynebacterium, Gardenella, etc.

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