...This chapter provides a general background on the synthesis of chemical biomarkers and their association with key metabolic pathways in organisms, as related to differences in cellular structure and function across the three domains of life. It discusses photosynthesis, the dominant pathway...

... surface. This means that biological production on Earth was no longer limited by the electron source (water in this case), but rather by nutrients and other trace constituents making up the cells. In the end, the use of water in photosynthesis resulted in an increase in rates of primary production...

...—such as photosynthesis and drought tolerance—are bad candidates for genetic improvement. Traits like plant height and leaf angle, which determine the collective performance of plant communities, offer more room for improvement. Agriculturalists can also benefit from more sophisticated comparisons among natural...

...This chapter focuses on internally generated changes due to evolutionary inventions of new forms life. These evolutionary inventions include the evolution of oxygen-yielding photosynthesis and the colonization of land by the first forests. Oxygen-dependent photosynthesis and respiration evolved...

... that major evolutionary advances, such as the evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis, or the first foresting of the land by sizeable trees, have been associated with environmental catastrophes. Gaia hypothesis evaluation of the evidence for against Darwin Charles evolution Gaia Gaia hypothesis Gaia...

... an overview of crop genetic improvement via traditional plant breeding or biotechnology, the chapter discusses the importance of greater resource-use efficiency and increasing yield potential. It then explains how natural selection has improved the efficiency of photosynthesis as well as water-use efficiency...

... and photosystem II (PSII)? (3) What is the origin of the oxygen-evolving complex in PSII? And finally, (4) what is the evolutionary history of Rubisco? In addressing these, the chapter seeks to understand the complex path leading to the evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis on Earth. This event was one...

... use of homemade colored filters to find out if Mars has green surface patches just like how light is reflected from chlorophyll-containing vegetation on Earth. The chapter explains that chlorophyll molecules power photosynthesis by absorbing sunlight and transferring that solar energy to an electron...