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What happens during the lag phase of bacterial population growth?
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Graph of the world's estimated human population from 1700 until 2000, with population projections extending until 2100.
During the lag phase of bacterial population growth, the number of bacteria remains constant because the cells do not immediately reproduce upon being introduced to a new growth medium.21
Instead, this period serves as an adjustment phase where the bacteria adapt to their new environmental conditions. Although the population size does not increase, the cells remain metabolically active. During this time, they increase in size and synthesize the enzymes and other factors necessary for cell division and subsequent population growth.21
The lag phase is the first of four distinct stages in a typical bacterial growth curve, followed by the log, stationary, and decline phases.21