The Company BigMoney Inc. is in trouble again, this time they have had a major s

Question

The Company BigMoney Inc. is in trouble again, this time they have had a major spill of a hydrocarbon fuel. They looked through the literature and found the following charts describing the types of metabolism used by microbes to degrade hydrocarbons at 25 contaminated sites. Not having taken microbiology or biochemistry, they want to know what these charts mean. Please describe to them how bacteria would perform Iron Reduction. Assume that any bacterium capable of degrading hydrocarbons is capable of first breaking the hydrocarbons down into acetyl-CoA. Please answer the following questions about bacteria capable of carrying out Iron Reduction: (7 points total)

List the pathways (glycolysis, TCA, electron transport, fermentation, photosynthesis, chemolithotrophy) a bacterium would use during Iron Reduction that results in the degradation of a hydrocarbon. (1 point)

Indicate the final electron acceptor used in Iron Reduction. (1 point)

Where do the electrons given to the electron acceptor come from? In other words, what molecule is the FIRST electron donor at the beginning of metabolism? (Hint: what are the bacteria eating?) (1 point)

Indicate whether the type of metabolism you have just described is fermentation, photosynthesis, anaerobic respiration, aerobic chemolithotrophy or anaerobic chemolithotrophy. (1 point)

How would your answer differ if you were describing aerobic respiration?(1 point)

Using the charts please indicate if you notice any trends about the types of metabolism used to degrade hydrocarbon spills. (1 point)

Rolative lmportance of Biodegradation Mechanisms at 25 Sites Co ceptualization of Electron Acceptor Zones in the Subsurface Aerobic respiration denitrification 7% 12% methanogenesis 42% ron reduc- tion 9% Aerobic respiration methanogenesiS Sulfate reduction 30% Sulfate reduction 30 % Denitrification iron reduction

Explanation / Answer

Biodegradation is a process where bacteria, fungi, and other organisms degrades the products and make it into simple form which are useful for the industrial purposes.

Bacteria breaks down oil to carbon dioxide and water. However, single organism cannot break down all the components of crude oil spilled into the environment, it can be biodegraded by communities of microorganisms by acting against the thousands of the oil components. Some bacteria can degrade several hydrocarbons, a class of hydrocarbons.

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