Your teacher gives you an unknown bacterium to observe. Select the method that would help you determine whether the bacterium is a chemotroph.(1 point)

Question

Responses

growing the bacterium in a sulfur solution to see if it breaks the inorganic molecules down
growing the bacterium in a sulfur solution to see if it breaks the inorganic molecules down

exposing the bacterium to carbon dioxide to see if it fixes carbon
exposing the bacterium to carbon dioxide to see if it fixes carbon

exposing the bacterium to direct sunlight to see if it converts light to chemical energy
exposing the bacterium to direct sunlight to see if it converts light to chemical energy

growing the bacterium in an agar tube filled with protein to see if it breaks the organic molecules down

Answer 1

To determine whether the unknown bacterium is a chemotroph, the appropriate method would be:

growing the bacterium in a sulfur solution to see if it breaks the inorganic molecules down.

Chemotrophs are organisms that obtain energy by oxidizing inorganic or organic substances. In this case, if the bacterium can break down inorganic sulfur compounds, it would support the classification of the organism as a chemotroph. The other options either test for photosynthesis, carbon fixation, or the breakdown of organic molecules, which are not relevant for determining if the bacterium is a chemotroph specifically.