Topic outline

  • Course contents, ILOs, and learning material

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    Microbial physiology course will focus on how microbes grow on the level of individual cells and as a population, and how the cellular control and regulation mediates adaptation to extracellular environments and determines the physiological states of cells. The mechanisms underlying the control and regulation will be investigated from the system-level point of view.

    Basic microbial growth models will be studied for assessing quantitative features of growth and production. To understand the metabolic requirements for growth and production the concepts of metabolic network and metabolic fluxes will be introduced. Further, the metabolic diversity among microbes and microbial communities will be reviewed.

    Finally, the concepts of evolution and the evolutionary force Darwinian selection will be studied and their role in shaping the physiology of natural microbes and production hosts discussed.

    Intended learning objectives

    You will have the knowledge of:

    •Microbial growth on the level of individual cells and a population
    •Cellular systems controlling and regulating microbial physiology
    •Adaptation of microbial cells to extracellular environment

    You understand:

    •Concepts of metabolic network and metabolic fluxes
    •Concepts of evolution and Darwinian selection

    You are able to:

    •Apply basic microbial growth models

    Learning material
    •Selected chapters and parts of Brock Biology of Microorganisms 16th Ed., Pearson, available as e-book in addition to Mastering Microbiology –material (login information here in this section)
    •Material distributed during the course (provided in MyCourses) including slides from the lectures (after the lecture) and scientific articles (provided in MyCourses)
    •Material prepared during the course including group work and notes compiled out of discussions (provided in MyCourses).