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Related Concept Videos

Origin of Photosynthesis01:26

Origin of Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis represents a fundamental biological process that transformed Earth's atmosphere and paved the way for complex life. Emerging roughly 3.4–3.8 billion years ago, the earliest photosynthetic organisms harnessed light energy to produce organic compounds. These anoxygenic phototrophs used electron donors like hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) or ferrous iron (Fe²⁺), rather than water, and did not release molecular oxygen (O₂) as a byproduct. Various groups, including green sulfur and purple...
The Anatomy of Chloroplasts01:08

The Anatomy of Chloroplasts

Green algae and plants, including green stems and unripe fruit, harbor specialized organelles called chloroplasts to carry out photosynthesis. They coordinate both stages of photosynthesis — the light-dependent reactions and the light-independent reactions. The light-dependent reactions use sunlight to release oxygen and produce chemical energy in the form of ATP and NADPH, and the light-independent reactions capture CO2 and use ATP and NADPH to produce sugar.
Structure of Chloroplasts
A...
Evolution of New Traits in Microbes01:24

Evolution of New Traits in Microbes

Microorganisms evolve rapidly due to their large population sizes and short generation times, often exhibiting measurable changes within days under laboratory conditions. Natural selection acts on standing genetic variation, enabling the retention and amplification of beneficial traits that confer fitness advantages in changing environments.Adaptive Pigment Regulation in RhodobacterIn Rhodobacter, a genus of purple non-sulfur bacteria, light-harvesting pigments such as bacteriochlorophyll and...
The Z-Scheme of Electron Transport in Photosynthesis01:34

The Z-Scheme of Electron Transport in Photosynthesis

The light reactions of photosynthesis assume a linear flow of electrons from water to NADP+. During this process, light energy drives the splitting of water molecules to produce oxygen. However, oxidation of water molecules is a thermodynamically unfavorable reaction and requires a strong oxidizing agent. This is accomplished by the first product of light reactions: oxidized P680 (or P680+), the most powerful oxidizing agent known in biology. The oxidized P680 that acquires an electron from the...
Oxygenic Photosynthesis01:26

Oxygenic Photosynthesis

Oxygenic photosynthesis is a fundamental process in which light energy is harnessed to drive the oxidation of water, leading to the production of molecular oxygen (O₂), adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH). This process is essential for sustaining aerobic life on Earth and is primarily carried out by cyanobacteria, algae, and plants. The core of oxygenic photosynthesis lies in the thylakoid membranes, where chlorophyll pigments facilitate light...
Photosystem II01:22

Photosystem II

The multi-protein complex photosystem II (PS II) harvests photons and transfers their energy through its bound pigments to its reaction center, and ultimately to photosystem I (PSI) through the electron transport chain. The pigments responsible for caputirng the light energy in photosystems include chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and carotenoids.
The pigment molecules are arranged across  two photosystem domains — the antenna complex and the reaction center. The main aim of the pigment molecules...

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Assessing Structural Traits in Triticum aestivum and Zea mays for C3 and C4 Photosynthetic Differentiation Using Free-hand and Semi-thin Sections
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Evolution of photosynthesis.

Martin F Hohmann-Marriott1, Robert E Blankenship

  • 1Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand.

Annual Review of Plant Biology
|March 29, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Photosynthesis, the conversion of sunlight to energy, evolved early and dramatically altered Earth. The development of oxygenic photosynthesis led to major life changes and complex evolutionary pathways.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Biochemistry
  • Geochemistry

Background:

  • Photosynthesis, the conversion of sunlight into energy by organisms, has profoundly shaped Earth's environment and life.
  • Early photosynthetic life was anoxygenic (non-oxygen evolving).
  • The emergence of oxygenic photosynthesis ~2.4 billion years ago revolutionized life's energetic and enzymatic processes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the evolutionary history of photosynthesis.
  • To understand the impact of oxygenic photosynthesis on life.
  • To investigate the roles of genetic transfer and endosymbiosis in photosynthetic evolution.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of genetic information.
  • Biochemical data interpretation.
  • Biophysical and physiological data integration.

Main Results:

  • Oxygenic photosynthesis significantly altered biosynthetic pathways, electron carriers, pigments, and carbon fixation.
  • Evolutionary history is complex, involving lateral gene transfer and endosymbiotic events.
  • A mosaic of photosynthetic features has emerged.

Conclusions:

  • Integrating diverse data provides a robust framework for studying the origin and evolution of photosynthesis.
  • Understanding photosynthetic evolution is key to comprehending early life and Earth's history.
  • Further research can refine hypotheses on the origins and diversification of photosynthesis.