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Biosequestration is the capture of atmospheric carbon by photosynthesis. It is crucial to the initiation, evolution and preservation of life.

Carbon in the Earth's atmosphere

It is generally accepted by Geochemistry that the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere since before the industrial revolution was 0.03 percent. The capture of atmosphereic C02 level has been largely a function of absorption by sea water, vegetation and soils. The capacity of the oceans to absorb C02 is decreasing. Given the potential adverse effects of rising atmospheric C02 levels (see climate change) this increases the importance of developing policies and laws that increase photosynthesis and biosequestration.

Enhanced photosynthesis

Biosequestration may be enhanced by improving photosynthetic efficiency by modifying RuBisCO genes in plants to increase the catalytic and/or oxygenation activity of that enzyme. One such research area involves increasing the earth's proportion of C4 carbon fixation photosynthetic plants. C4 plants represent about 5% of Earth's plant biomass and 1% of its known plant species, but account for around 30% of terrestrial carbon fixation. A new frontier in crop science consists of attempts to genetically engineer C3 staple food crops (such as wheat, barley, soybeans, potatoes and rice) with the "turbo-charged" photosynthetic apparatus of C4 plants.

Implications for climate change policy

Industries with large amounts of C02 emissions (such as the coal industry) are interested in biosequestration as a means of offsetting their greenhouse gas production.

References

1. JE Lovelock. Gaia. A New Look at Life on Earth. Oxford University Press. Oxford. 1989 p80
2. Tim Flannery. The Weather Makers. The History and Future Impact of Climate Change. Text Publishing. Melbourne.2005. p29
3. CL Sabine et al. The oceanic sink for anthropogenic C02 Science 2004; 305:367-71.
4. Spreitzer RJ, Salvucci ME (2002). "Rubisco: structure, regulatory interactions, and possibilities for a better enzyme". Annu Rev Plant Biol. 53: 449–75. doi:10.1146/annurev.arplant.53.100301.135233. PMID 12221984.
5. Bond, W.J.; Woodward, F.I.; Midgley, G.F. (2005). "The global distribution of ecosystems in a world without fire". New Phytologist 165 (2): 525–538.
6. Osborne, C.P.; Beerling, D.J. (2006). "Review. Nature's green revolution: the remarkable evolutionary rise of C4 plants". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 361 (1465): 173–194
7. David Beerling. The Emerald Planet. How Plants Changed Earth's History. Oxford University Press. Oxford 2007 pp194-195.
8. Tom Fearon. Australia’s ‘massive advantage’ in bio-sequestration. Environmental Management News. Monday, 3 August 2009

• Photosynthesis
• Plant physiology
• Plant morphology
• Plant anatomy