Microbial Metabolism of Sulfate-Reducing Ecosystems
Summary
Microbial metabolism of sulfate-reducing ecosystems centres on the dissimilatory reduction of sulfate (SO₄²⁻) to hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) by specialised anaerobic prokaryotes. These microbes, collectively termed sulfate-reducing microorganisms (SRMs), harness electrons from organic substrates or H₂ to drive energy conservation via a membrane-bound electron transport chain culminating in the activity of dissimilatory sulfite reductase. Such pathways underpin sulphur cycling in a broad range of anoxic habitats, from marine and lacustrine sediments to oil-contaminated soils and built environments. The activity of SRMs influences metal mobility through biogenic sulphide precipitation, modulates methane emissions by competing with methanogens for common substrates, and impacts global redox budgets. Community structure and metabolic rates are shaped by environmental parameters such as pH, temperature, substrate availability and competing electron acceptors. Advances in molecular ecology, genomics and geochemical modelling have illuminated the diversity of key lineages, the kinetics and thermodynamics of their reactions, and their roles in biotechnologies for bioremediation and resource recovery.
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Microbial Metabolism of Sulfate-Reducing Ecosystems publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in microbial metabolism of sulfate-reducing ecosystems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Dissimilatory sulphate reduction: Anaerobic respiratory process by which microbes reduce SO₄²⁻ to H₂S for energy conservation rather than biosynthesis.
Sulfate-reducing microorganisms (SRMs): Anaerobic bacteria and archaea that perform dissimilatory sulphate reduction.
Dissimilatory sulfite reductase: Key enzyme complex that catalyses the six-electron reduction of sulfite to sulfide.
Redox potential: Measure of a system’s tendency to gain or lose electrons, influencing microbial respiration pathways.
Electron donor: Organic or inorganic substance oxidised by microbes to supply electrons for energy metabolism.
References
- Draft Genome Sequence of Desulfofundulus thermobenzoicus subsp. thermosyntrophicus DSM 14055, a Moderately Thermophilic Sulfate Reducer. Microbiology Resource Announcements (2020).
- Sulfate Alters the Competition Among Microbiome Members of Sediments Chronically Exposed to Asphalt. Frontiers in Microbiology (2020).
- Microscale effects of oxygen and light on bacterial sulfate reduction in organic-rich lacustrine sediments. E3S Web of Conferences (2019).
- Geochemical transformations of sulfur in salt lakes (Transbaikalia). E3S Web of Conferences (2023).
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