quest to improve photosynthesis for more sustainable agriculture |
Textbook: Bicarbonate is formed when carbon dioxide dissolves in water, so its concentration
is related to the amount of carbon dioxide in the local environment. As well as low carbon dioxide levels causing electrons to build up and trigger the release of bicarbonate, the study also suggests the possibility that the level of carbon dioxide itself in the local leaf environment could
impact on the bicarbonate binding. "This is such an intuitive feedback mechanism at the heart of biology that I think it will go into school textbooks," said lead author, Professor Bill
Rutherford FRS from the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial.
"Now that we understand this new mechanism in the lab, the next step is to define when it kicks in out there in the field - not to mention the forest, greenhouse, plant pot, sea, lake and pond."
