Figure 1

The different stages of early bacterial growth upon inoculation into fresh media. In Lag1 there is no accumulation of biomass, in Lag2 there is cell growth but no division, and in the exponential phase the population begins to grow. During Lag1 ribosomal genes and amino acid biosynthesis are shut down, preventing cell growth. The cell focuses its resources on the production of carbon source utilization enzymes, in a control strategy known as bang-bang, to maximize growth in the long run.