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The important sulfur cycle is a biogeochemical cycle in which the sulfur moves between rocks, waterways and living systems. It is important in geology as it affects many minerals and in life because sulfur is an essential element (), being a constituent of many proteins and cofactors, and sulfur compounds can be used as oxidants or reductants in microbial respiration. [1]
Phosphorus and sulfur are also common essential elements, essential to the structure of nucleic acids and amino acids, respectively. Chlorine, potassium, magnesium, calcium and phosphorus have important roles due to their ready ionization and utility in regulating membrane activity and osmotic potential. [2]
This is an accepted version of this page This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 6 January 2025. There is 1 pending revision awaiting review. This article is about the chemical element. For other uses, see Sulfur (disambiguation). Chemical element with atomic number 16 (S) Sulfur, 16 S Sulfur Alternative name Sulphur (pre-1992 British spelling) Allotropes see Allotropes of sulfur ...
The global sulfur cycle involves the transformations of sulfur species through different oxidation states, which play an important role in both geological and biological processes. Earth's main sulfur sink is the oceans SO 4 2−, where it is the major oxidizing agent. [47]
Sulfur reduction occurs in plants, fungi, and many bacteria. [10] Sulfate can serve as an electron acceptor in anaerobic respiration and can also be reduced for the formation of organic compounds. Sulfate-reducing bacteria reduce sulfate and other oxidized sulfur compounds, such as sulfite, thiosulfate, and elemental sulfur, to sulfide.
Carbon is found in all organic molecules, whereas nitrogen is an important component of nucleic acids and proteins. Phosphorus is used to make nucleic acids and the phospholipids that comprise biological membranes. Sulfur is critical to the three-dimensional shape of proteins. The cycling of these elements is interconnected.
Sulfur assimilation is the process by which living organisms incorporate sulfur into their biological molecules. [1] In plants, sulfate is absorbed by the roots and then transported to the chloroplasts by the transipration stream where the sulfur are reduced to sulfide with the help of a series of enzymatic reactions .
The microbial oxidation of sulfur is an important link in the biogeochemical cycling of sulfur in environments hosting both abundant reduced sulfur species and low concentrations of oxygen, such as marine sediments, oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) and hydrothermal systems. [3]