В природе существует несколько способов питания organism. They depend on the characteristics of the structure, development and living conditions of the organism. Chemosynthesis is one of them. For which organisms is it characteristic and under what conditions is it possible? These and other questions will be answered by our article.
Autotrophic organisms
The two main ways of feeding organisms arehetero-and autotrophic. When the first is the assimilation of finished nutrients: proteins, lipids and carbohydrates. So feed animals, fungi, some bacteria. Autotrophs are able to independently synthesize organic substances from inorganic under certain conditions. This group of organisms includes plants and a special group of bacteria.
Varieties of autotrophic way of eatingare photosynthesis and chemosynthesis. Their main difference lies in the source of energy for life. Chemosynthesis is a method of nutrition in which the oxidation of inorganic compounds occurs. Not all living organisms can carry out this process.
Chemotrophs
Процесс хемосинтеза, открытый в 1887 году famous Russian scientist S. N. Vinogradov, characteristic of a special group of single-cell prokaryotes. These include iron, sulfur and nitrifying bacteria. All of them oxidize the corresponding nerganic substances. Thus, as a result of a chemical oxidation reaction, iron is converted from two to trivalent. And hydrogen sulfide is a simple substance, i.e. sulfur. Nitrifying bacteria have a special meaning in nature.
When decomposed and rotting organic matter releasedammonia. A group of nitrifying bacteria oxidizes this substance to nitric acid. Dissolving in water, this substance forms soluble salts. As a result, plants, absorbing them from the soil, are enriched with nitrogen, the presence of which is a necessary condition for the development of the root system. Thus, chemosynthesis is a process that provides the necessary substances to different groups of organisms simultaneously.
Phototrophs
Another group of autotrophic organisms areplants. They use sunlight to produce organic matter. Therefore, the way of their nutrition is also called phototrophic. This process is possible only in special cell organelles - chloroplasts. They contain dye - pigment chlorophyll.
It is he who paints the photosynthetic parts.autotrophic organisms in green. Also a necessary condition for the flow of this process is the presence of water and carbon dioxide, which is released as a result of respiration of living organisms. The process of photosynthesis is of great planetary importance. The fact is that as a result of its occurrence, not only glucose carbohydrate is formed, which is used by phototrophs as an energy source, but also oxygen. And without this gas, the process of breathing is impossible, and therefore life itself.
Difference between chemosynthesis and photosynthesis
Despite the fact that the two processes discussed above are variations of the autotrophic method of feeding, they also have a number of significant differences.
Photosynthesis is impossible without light.In addition, it occurs only when chloroplasts are present in the cells. Chemosynthesis is a process that occurs without the presence of these conditions, but only in the cells of bacteria.
They differ in their biological value. Phototrophs provide all living oxygen. Bacteria also carry out the circulation of nitrogen, sulfur and other substances.
Another important difference is the resultwhich is obtained directly by autotrophic organisms for themselves. Photosynthetic plants form carbohydrate glucose. Combining, the molecules of this substance create a polysaccharide starch. It is a plant nutrient. Chemotrophs synthesize organic substances not directly, but through ATP molecules - adenosine triphosphate. This substance is a kind of energy storage in the cells of living organisms. If necessary, it splits. This process proceeds in several stages, in each of which a certain amount of energy is released. Her and use chemotrophs for the implementation of life processes.
So, photosynthesis and chemosynthesis are varieties of the autotrophic way of feeding living organisms, which themselves produce the energy necessary for their growth and development.
