The evolution of atmospheric oxygen and photosynthetic structures over time. (IMAGE)

University of Liège

The evolution of atmospheric oxygen and photosynthetic structures over time.

Caption

Ancestral cyanobacteria carried out photosynthesis at their plasma membrane. The emergence of thylakoids – internal membranes specialised in photosynthesis – is thought to have subsequently enabled more efficient photosynthesis. Later, primary endosymbiosis led to the emergence of chloroplasts, the compartments where photosynthesis takes place in photosynthetic eukaryotes, such as algae and plants.

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University of Liège / L.Hambücken

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