The effect of temperature on the growth rate of Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Abstract
We conducted our experiment to determine whether increasing incubation temperature would have an effect on the growth rate of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Our four treatments were incubation at 12°, 17°, 30°, and 35° C, and cell counts were taken every 2 hours for 10 hours and once again after 24 hours. Our data analysis focused on the 6 to 10 hour time period, the interval where the greatest amount of growth occurred. We found the highest growth rate was at 35°, with a mean growth rate 4.98 x 106 cells/hour, compared to values of 7.59 x 103, 9.37 x 104, and 4.45 x 106 at 12°, 17°, and 30°, respectively. There was a significant effect of temperature on growth rate (analysis of variance, p= 5.07 x 10-6). We suggest that at higher temperatures, phospholipids in the cell become free allowing higher rates of particle transport, thus increasing reproduction.
