The oxygen we breathe 1. Most of the oxygen we breathe today is thought to have

Question

The oxygen we breathe

1. Most of the oxygen we breathe today is thought to have come from the photosynthesis of anaerobic organisms.
a. Write a balanced chemical formula for the production of oxygen by photosynthesis.

b. Oxygen is toxic to anaerobic organisms. After all, it was a waste product of the process of “food” consumption by anaerobic organisms. Like any organism forced to exist in an environment dominated by its own waste, it will die off or find another habitat. So are anaerobic organisms extinct? No! They are alive and well but not roaming the oxygen rich environment of the earth’s surface. List at least three anaerobic organisms and the conditions/habitats in which they continue to exist.

Explanation / Answer

1.a) Balanced equation for the production of Oxygen by Photosynthesis is:

12H2O + 6CO2 --> 6H2O + C6H12O6 + 6O2

1. b) Examples of 3 anaerobic organisms:

Staphylococcus - thrives in skin, hair, nose, throat of animals.

E. coli - thrives in the intestines of animals and people.

Clostridium - thrives in the environment and intestines of animals and men.

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