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Evolution of Photosynthesis and Respiration: Which Came First?

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“All the organic beings which have ever lived on this earth have descended from one primordial form, into which life was first breathed” [Charles Darwin, 1859].

Abstract

The origin of life as is presently known on our planet is deeply connected with the evolution of photosynthesis as a mean of providing the chemical substances necessary for the energy requirements of all the complex functions of living organisms. Light energy from the sun radiation is the only and primary source for this energetic endeavor. The evolution of the photosynthetic machinery is a complex biological issue, with links to the more general issue of the early planetary changes following the massive appearance of dioxygen in the atmosphere. Evidences, on which a possible story of this development can be based, have emerged from micro-paleontology and have given rise to some speculation and hypotheses. But a much stronger drive toward an understanding of the problem is connected with the copious results which modern molecular biology and biophysics are currently producing with the advent of molecular phylogenetic techniques and with the knowledge of the detailed atomic structure of the giant molecules that nature has developed to perform otherwise impossible chemical tasks. This minireview gives some of the basic facts and some of the discussion for an approach to the story.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy

    Giovanni Giacometti

  2. Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy

    Giorgio Mario Giacometti

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  1. Giovanni Giacometti
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  2. Giorgio Mario Giacometti
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Correspondence to Giovanni Giacometti.

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Giacometti, G., Giacometti, G.M. Evolution of Photosynthesis and Respiration: Which Came First?. Appl Magn Reson 37, 13–25 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00723-009-0041-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00723-009-0041-3

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