inorganic

Examples of inorganic in the following topics:

• The Phosphorus Cycle

  • Plants assimilate phosphorous from the environment and then convert it from inorganic phosphorous to organic phosphorous.
  • The organic phosphorous is released and converted back into inorganic phosphorous through decomposition.
  • In the spring, inorganic phosphorous is released from the sediment by convection currents in the warming water.
  • Phosphorous is converted between its organic and inorganic forms.
  • Plants convert phosphorous to its organic form, and bacteria convert it back to the inorganic form through decomposition

• The Energetics of Chemolithotrophy

  • A lithotroph is an organism that uses an inorganic substrate (usually of mineral origin) to obtain reducing equivalents for use in biosynthesis (e.g., carbon dioxide fixation) or energy conservation via aerobic or anaerobic respiration.
  • Known chemolithotrophs are exclusively microbes; no known macrofauna possesses the ability to utilize inorganic compounds as energy sources.
  • These molecules can be organic (chemoorganotrophs) or inorganic (chemolithotrophs).
  • The electron acceptor can be oxygen (in aerobic bacteria), but a variety of other electron acceptors, organic and inorganic, are also used by various species.
  • Other lithotrophs are able to directly utilize inorganic substances, e.g., iron, hydrogen sulfide, elemental sulfur, or thiosulfate, for some or all of their energy needs.

• Chemoautotrophs and Chemoheterotrophs

  • Chemotrophs are a class of organisms that obtain their energy through the oxidation of inorganic molecules, such as iron and magnesium.
  • The energy required for this process comes from the oxidation of inorganic molecules such as iron, sulfur or magnesium.
  • They do, however, still obtain energy from the oxidation of inorganic molecules like the chemoautotrophs.

• Sources of Essential Nutrients

  • Inorganic nutrients are elements or simply molecules that are made of elements other than carbon and hydrogen.
  • Oxygen is an important component of both organic and inorganic compounds.

• Oxidation of Reduced Sulfur Compounds

  • Sulfur oxidation involves the oxidation of reduced sulfur compounds, inorganic sulfur, and thiosulfate to form sulfuric acid.
  • Sulfur oxidation involves the oxidation of reduced sulfur compounds such as sulfide (H2S), inorganic sulfur (S0), and thiosulfate (S2O2−3) to form sulfuric acid (H2SO4).
  • Generally, the oxidation of sulfide occurs in stages, with inorganic sulfur being stored either inside or outside of the cell until needed.
  • The two step process occurs because sulfide is a better electron donor than inorganic sulfur or thiosulfate; this allows a greater number of protons to be translocated across the membrane.
  • Winogradsky referred to this form of metabolism as inorgoxidation (oxidation of inorganic compounds).

• Electron Donors and Acceptors

  • Some prokaryotes can use inorganic matter as an energy source.
  • Inorganic electron donors include hydrogen, carbon monoxide, ammonia, nitrite, sulfur, sulfide, and ferrous iron.
  • The use of inorganic electron donors as an energy source is of particular interest in the study of evolution.
  • Just as there are a number of different electron donors (organic matter in organotrophs, inorganic matter in lithotrophs), there are a number of different electron acceptors, both organic and inorganic.

• Iron Oxidation

  • Although ferric iron is the most prevalent inorganic electron acceptor, a number of organisms (including the iron-reducing bacteria mentioned above) can use other inorganic ions in anaerobic respiration.
  • Selenate (SeO2−4) reduction to selenite (SeO2−3) and selenite reduction to inorganic selenium (Se0)

• Sea Coral and Sea Anemone Zooxanthellae

  • These unicellular algae commonly reside in the endoderm of tropical cnidarians such as corals, sea anemones, and jellyfish, where they translocate products of photosynthesis to the host and in turn receive inorganic nutrients (e.g.
  • Under normal conditions, symbiont and host cells exchange organic and inorganic molecules that enable the growth and proliferation of both partners.

• Growth Terminology

  • To produce these organic compounds it either uses energy from light (by photosynthesis) or inorganic chemical reactions.
  • These organisms use inorganic energy sources or organic energy sources to sustain life.

• The Nitrogen Cycle

  • The nitrogen cycle is the process by which nitrogen is converted from organic to inorganic forms; many steps are performed by microbes.