The Emergence of a New Type of Photosynthesis (IMAGE)

University of Pennsylvania

The Emergence of a New Type of Photosynthesis

Caption

Biochemical and paleoclimate modeling revealed that plants with a new photosynthetic pathway known as C4, present in several important crop species today, emerged when atmospheric carbon dioxide was still quite high, roughly 30 million years ago. Water limitations, rather than Co2, drove its initial spread, according to a team led by biologists from Penn, including graduate student Haoran Zhou.

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Eric Sucar/University of Pennsylvania

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