An introduction to bioenergetics

Abstract

The ultimate source of energy to the earth is the electromagnetic radiation of the sun. Higher plants, algae and blue-green bacteria use the visible and near infra-red components of this radiation to drive the reductive assimilation of carbon dioxide (photoautotrophic growth) with the concomitant release of molecular oxygen:

$${\rm{C}}{{\rm{O}}_{\rm{2}}} + 2{{\rm{H}}_{\rm{2}}}{\rm{O*}}\buildrel {{\rm{light}}} \over \longrightarrow [{\rm{C}}{{\rm{H}}_{\rm{2}}}{\rm{O] + }}{{\rm{H}}_{\rm{2}}}{\rm{O + }}{{\rm{O}}_{\rm{2}}}*.$$