Endothall is broken down by microbes into which elements?

• A. Broken down by microbes into C, H, and O.
• B. Broken down by microbes into N, P, K.
• C. Not broken down by microbes.
• D. Forms stable salts in water.

Answer: (A)

Microbial degradation of organic pesticides typically mineralizes the compound down to the simplest building blocks: carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. As microbes oxidize the carbon and hydrogen, the end product is carbon dioxide and water, with the oxygen redistributed into those molecules. So, endothall, being organic, is broken down by microbes into C, H, and O—the elemental components that ultimately become CO2 and H2O. It wouldn’t be accurate to say it isn’t broken down by microbes, nor to describe the direct formation of stable salts in water as a degradation product, and while nutrients like N, P, and K are important in ecosystems, they aren’t the immediate products of microbial breakdown of this pesticide.