Reef Chemistry Question of the Day #168 Iron

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Reef Chemistry Question of the Day [HASHTAG]#168[/HASHTAG]

Which of the following are not typically considered important uses of iron by reef aquarium organisms?

Pick all that apply.

A. It serves as the oxygen carrier in blood via its central position in hemoglobin
B. It serves to help build the structure of cell membranes by forming hemolipids
C. It serves as the central atom in chlorophyll, which is critical for photosynthesis
D. It helps in the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen by cyanobacteria a part of a cluster of many iron and sulfur atoms
E. As a part of cytochrome C, it is critical for converting electron transport into energy via ATP synthesis

Good luck!



























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[Taservices]

Finally one I know off hand XD (I miss undergrad microbi). My answer is A and E.

 

[Taservices]

I am assuming when I say this that A should be read as "oxygen carrier in the blood" instead of "oxygen carried in the blood"

 

[rygh]

I have to go with "D"
Various reasons, since I thought raising iron actually hurts Cyano by helping competition.
But mostly because I simply hate Cyano with a passion, so the "importance" of that usage of iron seems minimal.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I am assuming when I say this that A should be read as "oxygen carrier in the blood" instead of "oxygen carried in the blood"

Yes, and the question was...


Which of the following are not typically considered important

 

[Lynn52]

C. the central atom in chlorophyll is magnesium not iron, as I recall

 

[Taservices]

......*cough* I need to go back to school to drill into myself once again "read the question carefully"

my revised answer is B, C, and D

 

[JesseLander]

B, D.... ummm semi-educated guess

 

[BradB]

B and C

 

[Cory]

A and b i think are not important to reefers

 

[toaster77]

D is true. Some cyanobacteria have amazing enzymes that can convert nitrogen gas to ammonia, and these enzymes have Fe-S clusters

 

[biom]

I think it is F.
F. Iron improves green and yellow colors of Acropora species

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

And the answer is...

B. It serves to help build the structure of cell membranes by forming hemolipids
C. It serves as the central atom in chlorophyll, which is critical for photosynthesis

Neither of those are true.

I do not think there is such a thing as a hemolipid ( I made it up, and the few mentions online may be translation issues).

The central atom in chlorophyll is a magnesium ion:

chlorophyll a from wikipedia:

 

[Cory]

I thought a applied to human blood

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I thought a applied to human blood

Fish have it too.