An essential nutrient is one that a) bacteria need for proper growth and can make themselves. b) bacteria need for proper growth and cannot make themselves. c) is not needed by the bacteria for proper growth. d) is always plentiful in the environment.

The current answer is b) bacteria need for proper growth and cannot make themselves.

Explanation:

An essential nutrient is one which is required to the cell for the proper growth from the environment because it cannot be synthesized by the cell itself.

Some essential nutrients that bacteria require for their growth are carbon, nitrogen, water, iron, inorganic salts, and many other molecules.  

These nutrients should be given from an easily available source to the bacteria for their proper growth because these nutrients are required to perform essential metabolic activities and can not be synthesized by bacteria on their own.

burning fossil fouls really decrease the carbon in the atmosphere so b