Publication Date:
2011-09-15
Description:
The regulation of the air: a hypothesis Solid Earth Discussions, 3, 769-788, 2011 Author(s): E. G. Nisbet, C. M. R. Fowler, and R. E. R. Nisbet We propose the hypothesis that natural selection, acting on the specificity of rubisco (ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase) for carbon dioxide over oxygen, has controlled the CO 2 :O 2 ratio of the atmosphere since the evolution of photosynthesis and has also sustained the Earth's greenhouse-set surface temperature. Rubisco works in partnership with the nitrogen-fixing enzyme nitrogenase to control atmospheric pressure. Together, these two enzymes control global surface temperature and indirectly the pH and oxygenation of the ocean. Thus, the co-evolution of these two enzymes may have produced clement conditions on the Earth's surface, allowing life to be sustained.
Electronic ISSN:
1869-9537
Topics:
Geosciences
