The bacteria cultured from a soil sample typically represents
A) all the bacteria present in that sample.
B) a very small number of bacteria present in that soil.
C) all the metabolically active bacteria.
D) all the metabolically inactive bacteria.
E) most of the types of bacteria in that soil.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The bacteria cultured from a soil sample represents only a small number of bacteria present in that soil. This is because only certain types of bacteria can grow under specific laboratory conditions and not all bacteria are culturable. Therefore, the cultured bacteria do not represent all the bacteria present in that sample.

The Bacteria Cultured from a Soil Sample Typically Represents