| Main Title |
Oxygen and the Evolution of Life [electronic resource] / |
| Type |
EBOOK |
| Author |
Decker, Heinz.
|
| Other Authors |
|
| Publisher |
Springer Berlin Heidelberg : Imprint: Springer, |
| Year Published |
2011 |
| Call Number |
QH359-425 |
| ISBN |
9783642131790 |
| Subjects |
Life sciences ;
Evolution (Biology)
|
| Internet Access |
|
| Collation |
XI, 172 p. online resource. |
| Notes |
Due to license restrictions, this resource is available to EPA employees and authorized contractors only |
| Contents Notes |
This book describes the interlaced histories of life and oxygen. It opens with the generation of the element in ancient stars, and its distribution to newly formed planets like the Earth. But free O2 was not available on the early Earth, so the first life forms had to be anaerobic. Life introduced free O2 into the environment through the evolution of photosynthesis. This must have been a disaster for many anaerobes, but others found ways to deal with toxic reactive oxygen species. Some even developed a much more efficient oxygen-based metabolism. The authors vividly describe how the introduction of O2 into the atmosphere and oceans changed world chemistry, and allowed the burst of evolution that created today's biota. They also discuss the interplay of O2 and CO2, with consequences such as worldwide glaciations and global warming. On the physiological level, they present an overview of oxidative metabolism and O2 transport in animals and the importance of O2 in human life and medicine, emphasizing that while oxygen is essential, it is also related to aging and many disease states. |
| Place Published |
Berlin, Heidelberg |
| Corporate Au Added Ent |
SpringerLink (Online service) |
| Host Item Entry |
Springer eBooks |
| PUB Date Free Form |
2011 |
| BIB Level |
m |
| Medium |
computer |
| Content |
text |
| Carrier |
online resource |
| Cataloging Source |
OCLC/T |
| OCLC Time Stamp |
20141124021121 |
| Language |
eng |
| Origin |
SPRINGER |
| Type |
EBOOK |
| OCLC Rec Leader |
02415nam a22003975i 45 |
