Concentric iron oxide accumulations around plant roots in a floodplain soil. (Photograph: Andreas Voegelin, Eawag)
Concentric iron oxide accumulations around plant roots in a floodplain soil. (Photograph: Andreas Voegelin, Eawag) All living organisms that respire have to get rid of electrons. In oxygen-free environments, microorganisms deploy special molecules which act as extracellular electron shuttles to transfer the electrons from cells to minerals. A group of researchers has now discovered what determines the electron transfer efficiency of these "cabs". Every living thing requires energy. This is also true of microorganisms. This energy is frequently generated in the cells by respiration, that is by the combustion of organic compounds, in other words: food.
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