dissimilatory metal reduction

Edge evidence

• terminal electron acceptor enables dissimilatory metal reduction RO:0002327

  Metal-ion acceptors enable energy-conserving anaerobic respiration on metals.

  • DOI:10.1128/mr.55.2.259-287.1991 Lovley establishes dissimilatory metal (Fe(III)/Mn(IV)) reduction as energy-conserving anaerobic respiration.
• dissimilatory metal reduction participates in anaerobic respiration biolink:participates_in

  Metal reduction is a class of anaerobic respiration.

  • PMID:7826009 Nealson & Saffarini place iron and manganese as terminal electron acceptors within anaerobic respiration.
• organic compound oxidation donates electrons to Fe(III) reduction METPO:2007403

  Oxidation of organic compounds donates electrons to Fe(III) reduction in metal-reducing bacteria.

  • DOI:10.1007/s11783-019-1173-9 FeRB transfers electrons to Fe(III), Fe(III) is reduced to Fe(II), and organic compounds are mineralized (Jiang et al., 2019); general respiratory coupling.
• MtrCAB outer-membrane complex transfers electrons to extracellular electron acceptor METPO:2007403

  The MtrCAB outer-membrane complex creates a pathway transferring electrons to an extracellular acceptor.

  • DOI:10.1128/aem.00044-24 The outer membrane complex MtrCAB creates a pathway that transfers electrons to an extracellular acceptor (Hsu et al., 2024); generalized EET conduit role.
• flavin electron shuttle facilitates electron transfer to extracellular electron acceptor

  Flavin shuttles facilitate electron transfer to substrates distant from the cell surface.

  • DOI:10.3390/fermentation11070381 Redox-active small molecules (flavins) facilitate electron transfer to substrates distant from the cell surface (Soares et al., 2025); mediated EET especially where metal oxides are spatially inaccessible.
• oxidized insoluble metal serves as respiratory substrate for dissimilatory metal reduction

  Oxidized insoluble metals serve as an abundant respiratory substrate for metal reduction.

  • DOI:10.1128/aem.00044-24 Oxidized, insoluble metals are an abundant electron acceptor that microbes could utilize as a respiratory substrate (Hsu et al., 2024); trait-defining.
• anaerobic subsurface environment provides condition for Fe(III) reduction

  Fe(III) reduction occurs under anaerobic subsurface conditions where Fe(III) is insoluble/crystalline.

  • DOI:10.1007/s11783-019-1173-9 Fe(III) has solubility ~10^-9 M at neutral pH and is generally present as insoluble or crystalline forms under anaerobic subsurface environments (Jiang et al., 2019); environmental/chemical constraint.