1. A laboratory apparatus that maintains a constant environment for the growth of microorganisms by automatically controlling the supply of nutrients and removal of waste.
Usage: technical; microbiology

Examples

• The researcher used a chemostat to study bacterial growth rates under controlled conditions.
• In the chemostat, the flow rate of fresh medium determines the dilution rate of the culture.
• Chemostats are essential tools for maintaining steady-state microbial populations in the laboratory.
• The chemostat automatically adjusts nutrient levels to keep the microorganism population stable.
• By varying the carbon source in the chemostat, scientists can observe how bacteria adapt to different environments.