Substrate Uptake by Microorganisms

Among the many reasons for the importance of prokaryotic organisms in biogeochemical cycling are  

A) Their metabolic versatility, especially the many types of anaerobic metabolism and the ability to degrade complex polymeric substances or to catalyze reactions among inorganic compounds. 

B) Their small size which allows them to inhabit nearly any environment on the surface of the Earth and which strongly enhances the efficiency of their catalytic activity. 

Q The wide range of enviromnental conditions under which they thrive, including temperature, salinity, pH, hydrostatic pressure, etc.. 

The metabolic versatility of prokaryotic organisms is discussed in Section 5.4. The small size of the 

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