November 21, 2012

Algae can draw energy from other plants




Astonishing research finding by biologists at Bielefeld University published in the online journal Nature Communications

Flowers need water and light to grow. Even children learn that plants use sunlight to gather energy from earth and water. Members of Professor Dr. Olaf Kruse’s biological research team at Bielefeld University have made a groundbreaking discovery that one plant has another way of doing this. They have confirmed for the first time that a plant, the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, not only engages in photosynthesis, but also has an alternative source of energy: it can draw it from other plants. This finding could also have a major impact on the future of bioenergy. The research findings have been released on Tuesday 20 November in the online journal Nature Communications published by the renowned journal Nature.