Open AccessDesert Life Conjures Organic Carbon from Thin Air
Author(s) -
Elise Cutts
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
eos
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1029/2021eo161844
Subject(s) - desert (philosophy) , carbon fixation , carbon fibers , hydrogen , environmental science , photosynthesis , hydrogen fuel , carbon dioxide , ecology , chemistry , materials science , biology , political science , biochemistry , organic chemistry , composite number , law , composite material
Without water, photosynthesis shuts down. To survive dry spells, desert microbes scavenge traces of hydrogen from the air and burn it for energy. Some even use hydrogen to fuel carbon fixation.