What are microbial life cycles?

Microbial life cycles are like the different jobs and hobbies that tiny creatures called microbes do throughout their lives.

Imagine you have a favorite toy that can be a robot one day and a dinosaur the next, that's kind of what microbes do. They go through stages, just like how you grow from a baby to a kid to an adult.

Some microbes start as single cells and then split into two, it’s like when you share your snack with a friend, and both of you have half. Others might live in groups or even change shapes depending on what they need to do.

Just like how you wear a coat when it's cold, microbes switch up their life cycles based on where they are and what’s going on around them. Sometimes they’re busy growing and multiplying; other times, they're resting or traveling to new places, all part of the fun of being a tiny, ever-changing microbe!