Carbon monoxide fixation by plants

Abstract

Leaves of 35 species of temperate and tropical plants absorbed CO in light from air containing 6 ppm CO at an average rate of 0.19 μl/h g fresh weight. CO absorption was measured by the uptake of 14CO from a closed flowing gas system. CO uptake by bean leaves varied considerably with age. Uptake by nine species having widely different rates of absorption was exactly proportional to CO concentration in the range 0 to 100 ppm CO. Absorbed CO was metabolized either by oxidation to CO2 and fixation as such or by reduction and incorporation into serine. Corn, a C4 plant, emphasized the former pathway and bean, a C3 plant, emphasized the latter pathway. CO had various effects on the photosynthesis of leaves of different species; ranging from being inhibitory at concentrations as low as 65 ppm to exerting no influence, or even permitting an increase in net CO2 fixation at 99% CO because of the absence of O2.Plants do not contribute significantly to the global CO balance because their uptake rate is low at the CO concentration normally encountered in interurban areas. However, their contribution may become very important in or near urban and polluted areas, where elevated CO concentrations are frequently found.