1. What are the sources of sulfur-containing compounds?
2. What are the different forms of sulphur present in nature?
3. How does sulfur enter the ecosystem?
4. How does sulfur return to the environment after being consumed?
5. What makes sulfur cycle sedimentary in nature?
Answers & Comments
1. The most ubiquitous group is that of sulfur amines and amino acids. These compounds have been found in a variety of marine organisms including algae, gorgonians, clams, and fishes, and they include Met, Cys, methionine sulfone, methionine N-methyl sulfoxide, and several aliphatic sulfonated amines.
2. Common naturally occurring sulfur compounds include the sulfide minerals, such as pyrite (iron sulfide), cinnabar (mercury sulfide), galena (lead sulfide), sphalerite (zinc sulfide), and stibnite (antimony sulfide); and the sulfate minerals, such as gypsum (calcium sulfate), alunite (potassium aluminium sulfate) Sulfur deposits are found naturally in areas around hot springs and in volcanic regions. It is also widely found in nature as iron pyrites (iron sulfide), galena (lead sulfide), gypsum (calcium sulfate), Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) and many other minerals.
3. Plants absorb sulphur when it is dissolved in water. Sulphur can also be found in the atmosphere. It enters the atmosphere through both natural and human sources. Natural recourses can be for instance volcanic eruptions, bacterial processes, evaporation from water, or decaying organisms.
4. Once sulfur is exposed to the air, it combines with oxygen, and becomes sulfate (SO4). Plants and microbes take up sulfate and convert it into organic compounds. As animals consume plants, the sulfur is moved through the food chain and released when organisms and plants die and decompose.
5. Sulphur is important for the functioning of proteins and enzymes in plants, and in animals that depend upon plants for sulphur. Plants absorb sulphur when it is dissolved in water. Animals consume these plants, so that they take up enough sulphur to maintain their health.
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