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Related Concept Videos

Microbes and Other Elemental Cycles01:24

Microbes and Other Elemental Cycles

Microbial activity plays a pivotal role in the biogeochemical cycling of iron and manganese, especially at the redox gradients characteristic of stratified aquatic environments. These cycles are driven by microbial transformations between oxidized and reduced forms of the metals, allowing organisms to exploit them for metabolic energy and structural purposes.Iron Cycling Across Redox GradientsIn neutral, oxygen-rich surface waters, iron is predominantly found in its oxidized, insoluble ferric...
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The Periodic Table and Organismal Elements00:57

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OverviewElements are the smallest units of matter that cannot be broken down further by chemical processes. There are 118 known elements, but not all of these are naturally-occurring, and fewer still are essential for life. Living matter is composed primarily of carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen, with smaller amounts of other elements like calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur. Other elements are also necessary for life but only in trace amounts.The Periodic Table Provides Information...
The Periodic Table and Organismal Elements01:27

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The Periodic Table And Organismal Elements01:27

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Elements are the smallest units of matter that cannot be broken down further by chemical processes. There are 118 known elements, but not all of these are naturally occurring, and only a few of them are essential for life. Living matter is composed primarily of carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen, with smaller amounts of other elements like calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur. Other elements are also necessary for life but only in trace amounts.
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Laboratory Simulation of an Iron(II)-rich Precambrian Marine Upwelling System to Explore the Growth of Photosynthetic Bacteria
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Iron in evolution.

R J P Williams1

  • 1Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QR, UK. Bob.Williams@chem.ox.ac.uk

FEBS Letters
|June 28, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Iron

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Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Biochemistry
  • Geochemistry

Background:

  • Early Earth's environment was dominated by ferrous iron compounds.
  • Organisms evolved to utilize iron, influencing its environmental state.
  • Oxygen production by early life oxidized iron, altering its availability.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the intertwined evolution of iron chemistry in Earth's environment and biological systems.
  • To understand the transition of iron's role from environmental mineral to essential biological component.
  • To trace the adaptation of cellular iron chemistry to environmental oxidation.

Main Methods:

  • Review of geochemical and biochemical literature.
  • Analysis of the historical interplay between oxygenic photosynthesis and iron speciation.
  • Tracing the functional evolution of iron in biological systems.

Main Results:

  • Ferrous iron dominated early Earth's geochemistry.
  • Biological oxygen production led to the oxidation of ferrous to ferric iron.
  • Cellular iron uptake evolved to manage oxidized iron, expanding its biochemical roles.

Conclusions:

  • The evolution of iron chemistry in organisms is a direct consequence of environmental changes driven by life itself.
  • Iron's biochemical functions expanded from electron transfer to external oxidative processes.
  • The co-evolution of environmental and organismal iron chemistry represents a predictable chemical system dynamic.