Abstract
Considerable changes take place in the energy metabolism of the soil microflora when oxygen becomes a limiting factor. Aerobic respiration is replaced by two other phenomena, namely fermentation and anaerobic respiration. In fermentation the transfer of electrons is associated with energy metabolism and occurs by means of internal redox reactions involving organic molecules and substrate-level phosphorylations. The Krebs cycle does not operate and growth is slow. In contrast, during anaerobic respiration oxygen is replaced by an electron acceptor of inorganic origin. In this type of respiration, which only occurs in procaryotes, the Krebs cycle functions in association with an electron transport chain which permits oxidative phosphorylation and more extensive growth than fermentation.
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Germon, J.C. (1985). Microbiology of Denitrification and Other Processes Involving the Reduction of Oxygenated Nitrogenous Compounds. In: Golterman, H.L. (eds) Denitrification in the Nitrogen Cycle. NATO Conference Series, vol 9. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9972-9_3
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