Fig. 1
![Fig. 1](http://media.springernature.com/full/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1186%2Fs12859-023-05325-w/MediaObjects/12859_2023_5325_Fig1_HTML.png)
Cultivation systems and their implications for metabolically stationary state conditions. For definitions of mathematical variables, see Section Methods. a Chemostat as an open system in steady state. Black: time-constant entities; bold arrows: flows; normal arrows: metabolic fluxes; rounded rectangle: cell. b Dynamics in batch cultivation of cells with a phase of metabolically stationary state (constant specific growth rate, implying linear increase of the logarithm of the species concentration, insensitive to external concentrations) between dashed vertical lines. c Metabolically stationary state in the closed batch system (time-constant entities in black)