UNIVERSITY OF GUYANA

FACULTY OF NATURAL SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY

BIO2100 – LABORATORY AND FIELD BIOLOGY III

SUBSECTION: BIOLOGY OF MICROORGANISMS
LECTURER: MRS. LEANNA KALICHARAN-SUKHU

Laboratory Exercise # 1
Colony Morphology

THEORY: Microorganisms grow on solid media as colonies. A colony is defined as a visible mass of
microorganisms all originating from a single cell. Therefore, a colony constitutes a clone of bacteria all
genetically alike.

Observing Colony Morphology on Inoculated Plates

On a given medium, a colony’s shape, colour, consistency, surface appearance and size for a given
incubation time are often characteristic, and these are often used in the identification of particular
bacterial strains. The full description of a colony can be very detailed. For example, the elevation of a
colony may be flat, low convex, domed unbonate et cetera; its edge, maybe entire (circular or
unbroken), crenate (scalloped), lobed or fimbriate; its texture may be butyrous friable or mucoid; its
surface may be matt or glossy; it may be whitish or pigmented or it may contain a dye taken up from
the medium, or it may release water soluble pigment into the medium.
More so, the colonies of certain bacteria, for example, Bacillus can migrate across the surface of a
culture plate. The tract of such movement is often marked by lines of bacterial growth, which arise from
the cells left behind by the migration colony. An interesting feature of certain bacterial colonies is the
so-called smooth-rough (S-R) variation. In many types of bacteria, some type of S-R variation is
responsible for a change in the cell-surface composition, which occurs spontaneously during in vitro or
in vivo growth.
In addition, when working with bacteria and other microbes, it is highly important to practice aseptic
techniques to make sure that the cultures being studied are not contaminated by organisms from the
environment, and that organisms are not released into the environment.

For this lab exercise:

▪ You are required to review the video on Bacterial Colony Morphology.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEvM-Q5tjiY

▪ Description has been provided in the guide below on the same.

▪ After reviewing the video and the information provided below, you will describe the colonies
presented in the pictures.

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 GUIDE

Figure 1: Identified Bacterial Colonies on Agar Plate

There are seven macroscopic characteristics of bacterial colonies that must be observed and
recorded. These include:
1. SIZE: whenever possible measure colony diameter and express it in millimeters (mm). If the
bacteria colony is too small to be measured, you may describe it as punctiform.
2. SHAPE: This refers to the form of the colony, or its overall appearance. Common shapes include
circular, rhizoid, irregular, filamentous, and spindle. Look at the whole colony. Describe the shape
using the terms.
3. EDGE/MARGIN: The margin refers to the edge of a colony. Common margins include entire,
undulate (resembling waves), lobate (lobed structure), curled, rhizoid, filamentous, or erose
(irregularly notched).
4. SURFACE: smooth, rugose (wrinkled), rough, concentric rings, dull (matte), or shiny (glistening)
5. PIGMENTATION: Describe the colour as precisely as possible, for example: white, buff, red, purple,
etc
6. OPACITY OF COLONY: transparent (clear), opaque, translucent (almost clear, but distorted vision–
like looking through frosted glass), iridescent (changing colours in reflected light)
7. ELEVATION: How much does the colony rise above the agar? Elevation describes the side-view of
the colony. The most common are flat, raised, convex (curved surface), pulvinate (cushion-shaped),
and umbonate (having a knobby protuberance). Hold the plate to the side and note the colony
elevation.

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Images to review

Image Source: Bacterial colonies - examples of morphology of various colonies of bacteria; gallery of
bacterial colonies (microbiologyinpictures.com)

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LAB REPORT FORMAT & RUBRIC TOTAL= 64 marks
– The report MUST be done individually.
– The report MUST be typed in font: Arial, size: 12, paragraphs: justified, line & paragraph spacing:
1.5., margins: normal 1”/2.54 cm, page size: letter. (3 marks)
– Cover page: MUST be done in the standard format (see Moodle). (1 mark)
– Always write in third person.
– Please do not start each heading on a separate page. Headings should stand out and each section
should be separated by 1 line. Neatness counts.
– Do not copy verbatim (word for word) from the lab handout or any other source. This is plagiarism
and would result in a zero mark and possible further consequences.
– Each lab report is due 1 week after the completion of the laboratory exercise.
– All submissions will be done via Moodle.

INTRODUCTION: This MUST be no less than ½ page and more than 1 page which should reflect the
topic. Cite sources used. (5 marks)
AIM/OBJECTIVE(S): The objective is a concise statement in complete sentence(s) outlining the
purpose of the lab exercise. (1 mark)
METHODOLOGY: This section MUST be written in paragraphs. The procedure is a detailed statement
(step by step) of how the experiment was performed such that the experiment could be repeated using
your report. Safety precautions that were followed should be stated in this section. The procedure must
be written in the impersonal (3rd person) past tense. (10 marks)
RESULTS
For this lab report your results section includes:
1. A suitable table with an appropriate title describing the bacterial colonies observed. Table headings
(titles) are found above the table and should give a brief description of the table. (16 marks)
2. Drawings done for each culture. (10 marks)
DISCUSSION
For this lab report, discuss the reliability of colony morphology in the identification of a given bacterial
species and discuss what your results tell you about the cultures observed – how do they
compare/contrast based on colony morphology. Include all in-text citations used. (10 marks)
CONCLUSION
The conclusion is a concise statement that answers the objective. The conclusion should be written in
the impersonal past tense using complete sentences. For instance: How to change the experiment for
improved results, what did you learn? Explain what the results are telling you, accept/reject hypothesis,
and answer any questions posed by the lab or lecturer. A one-line sentence that supports the objective
or states that the objective is incorrect is unacceptable. (2 marks)
REFERENCES
A full listing of each source used. References [both in-text citation and reference list] MUST be done in
accordance to the APA 6th Referencing Style. (6 marks)