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Colonies of Bacillus subtilis (1 day and 3 day old).jpg · Resized and converted to WebP for display. Source-identified documentary image; see the original file for method and context. О2016льга · CC BY 4.0

Field guide · species

Bacillus subtilis

(Ehrenberg 1835) Cohn 1872 (Approved Lists 1980)

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The authority credits the formal scientific description of the name. A year records publication of that description.

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Bacillus subtilis is a rod-shaped bacterium that can switch from active growth to a resistant endospore state. The transition is a survival strategy, not a way of producing many offspring from one cell.

Public research profile · final editorial review pending.

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Tree of lifeScientific lineage

Advanced classification

Complete source lineage, including intermediate ranks. The standard view uses Life and the eight principal ranks.

cellular organisms cellular root
Bacteria domain
Bacillati kingdom
Bacillota phylum
Bacilli class
Caryophanales order
Bacillaceae family
Bacillus genus
Bacillus subtilis group species group
Bacillus subtilis species

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Structure and identification

Vegetative cells are rods that may occur in chains. An endospore is a differentiated structure formed within a cell.

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Habitat and range

Soil-associated and plant-associated environments provide changing supplies of organic nutrients. Laboratory strains allow these responses to be studied in controlled conditions.

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Nutrition and metabolism

Organic compounds support growth, and secreted enzymes help make substrate resources available.

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Biological activity

Populations can develop distinct physiological states as conditions change. Nutrient limitation can initiate sporulation.

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Reproduction and life cycle

Growing vegetative cells can differentiate into resistant endospores. A growth-and-sporulation study found that cells differ in their probability and timing of entering that process. Sporulation is not an immediate population-wide switch, and one cell producing an endospore is a survival transition rather than an increase in cell number.

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