Auxanography is the study of the effects of changes in
environment on the growth of
microorganisms, by means of
auxanograms. It was first devised by
Beijerinck
Martinus Willem Beijerinck (, 16 March 1851 – 1 January 1931) was a Dutch microbiologist and botanist who was one of the founders of virology and environmental microbiology. He is credited with the discovery of viruses, which he called "''c ...
[Beijerinck, M. W. 1889. L'auxanographie, ou la méthode de l'hydrodiffusion dans la gélatine appliquée aux recherches microbiologiques. Arch. Néerl. Sc. 23:367-372.] for testing the effect of various nutrient media upon
bacteria
Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one Cell (biology), biological cell. They constitute a large domain (biology), domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometr ...
.
[JANA GANA MANA – auxanography](_blank)
The bacteria are plated out in a medium known to be poorly adapted for their
nourishment
Nutrition is the biochemical and physiological process by which an organism uses food to support its life. It provides organisms with nutrients, which can be metabolized to create energy and chemical structures. Failure to obtain sufficient nu ...
, and then drops of the tested solutions are added to the surface of the plate. If the requisite nutrient has been added, the bacteria will develop rapidly in these spots.
See also
*
*
Eutrophication
Eutrophication is the process by which an entire body of water, or parts of it, becomes progressively enriched with minerals and nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus. It has also been defined as "nutrient-induced increase in phytopla ...
References
* G. Pontecorvo (1949
Auxanography techniques in biochemical genetics Microbiology 3(1)
Microbiology techniques
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