A microorganism grows in the lab on medium containing mineral salts but no organic compounds. The organism is likely to be a(n)
A) heterotroph.
B) autotroph.
C) chemotroph.
D) chemoheterotroph.
E) The answer cannot be determined from the information provided.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The medium containing mineral salts but no organic compounds is essentially a minimal medium, which means that the microorganism must be able to synthesize all its necessary organic compounds using inorganic sources. This rules out the possibility of the microorganism being a heterotroph, which requires preformed organic compounds, or a chemoheterotroph, which derives energy from organic compounds. Therefore, the microorganism is likely to be an autotroph, which can synthesize its own organic compounds from inorganic sources. It could also be a phototroph if it uses light as an energy source, but this information is not given in the question.

A Microorganism Grows in the Lab on Medium Containing Mineral