The ‘Great Plate Count Anomaly’

The number of bacteria that can be grown using standard plating methods is frequently 1-4 orders of magnitude fewer than the number of cells observed by direct microscope count. Oligotrophs: adapted to low nutrient concentrations. Copiotrophs: needing high nutrient concentrations, but possessing various adaptations to survive periods of low nutrients. Opportunitroph: equipped to take advantage of transient occurrences of high-nutrient niches within a bulk low nutrient environment.