Which of the following can utilize oxygen but can also grow in its absence?

The choice referring to facultative anaerobes is indeed the correct answer because these organisms have the unique ability to utilize oxygen when it is present but can also switch to anaerobic respiration or fermentation when oxygen is absent. This flexibility allows facultative anaerobes to thrive in a variety of environments, making them highly adaptable. They possess both aerobic and anaerobic metabolic pathways, which means they can generate energy efficiently in the presence of oxygen but can still survive and grow by using alternative methods in its absence.

For better understanding, aerobe refers to organisms that exclusively require oxygen to grow, and they cannot survive without it. Obligate anaerobes, on the other hand, are harmed or inhibited by the presence of oxygen and can only grow in its absence. Meanwhile, microaerophilic organisms require oxygen but in lower concentrations than what is found in the atmosphere. These distinctions are crucial in understanding microbial metabolism and growth strategies in different environments.