Answer:
This assertion is true. The metabolic pathways of prokaryotic microorganisms have a major role in the biochemical cycles that lie at the basis of maintaining life on the Earth
Explanation:
The biochemical cycles include the nitrogen cycle, carbon cycle, sulfur cycle, etc. These cycles are interrelated in a system that allows the control of the planet's biological pulse. For example, organisms can't live without nitrogen (which is required to synthesize proteins), and, thus, it is not possible to continue with the carbon cycle in plants without the nitrogen cycle. In addition, strict anaerobes such as, for example, Clostridia, are able to fix atmospheric nitrogen under anaerobic conditions. In turn, the metabolism of nitrogen compounds requires the existence of iron-based enzymes, thereby iron also plays a critical role in the nitrogen cycle. Thus, the biodiversity of the ecosystems (whose communities are abundantly formed by prokaryotic microorganisms) sustains the life on the Earth by playing key roles in the biochemical cycles. In consequence, it is possible to confirm that higher forms of life adapted to live in a world governed by microorganisms but not inversely.
