Discoveries in Photosynthesis

Abstract

Form the Series Editor, Preface A personal tribute to an eminent photosynthesis researcher, Martin D. Kamen (1913-2002) Biographies of the Editors Colour Plates Part I Editorials: Celebrating the Millennium - Historical Highlights of Photosynthesis Research, Part 1.- Part 2.- Part 3 .- Part II Overviews and Timelines: History of the word photosynthesis and evolution of its definition.- In one era and out the other.- Timeline of discoveries: Anoxygenic photosynthesis.- Discoveries in oxygenic photosynthesis (1727-2002): a perspective.- Part III Tributes: 'And whose bright presence'-an appreciation of Robert Hill and his reaction.- The Contributions of James Franck to photosynthetic research: a tribute.- Hydrogen metabolism of green algae: discovery and early research-a tribute to Hans Gaffron and his coworkers.- Samuel Ruben's contributions to research on photosynthesis and bacterial metabolism with radioactive carbon. Contributions of Henrik Lundegardh.-Part IV Excitation Energy Transfer: Photosynthetic exciton theory in the 1960s.- Excitation energy trapping in anoxygenic photosynthetic bacteria.- Fluorescence lifetime, yield, energy transfer and spectrum in photosynthesis, 1950-1960.- Visualization of excitation energy transfer processes in plants and algae.-Plastoquinone redox control of chloroplast thylakoid protein phosphorylation and distribution of excitation energy between photosystems: discovery, background, implications.- Excitation transfer between photosynthetic units: the 1964 experiment.-Part V Reaction Centers: Research on photosynthetic reaction centers from 1932 to 1987.- Chlorophyll chemistry before and after crystals of photosynthetic reaction centers.- Electron donors and acceptors in the initial steps of photosynthesis in purple bacteria: a personal account.- My daily constitutional in Martinsried.- The two-electron gate in photosynthetic bacteria.- Steps on the way to building-blocks, 3-D crystalsand X-ray structural analysis of photosystem I and II of water-oxidizing photosynthesis. a personal account.- The identification of the Photosystem II reaction center: a personal story.- The isolated Photosystem II reaction center: first attempts to directly measure the kinetics of primary charge separation.- Discovery of pheophytin function in the photosynthetic energy conversion as the primary electron acceptor of Photosystem II.- Engine of life and big bang of evolution.- Role of bicarbonate at the acceptor side of Photosystem II.- Unraveling the PS I reaction center: a long history or the sum of many efforts.- Photosystem I reaction center: past and future.- P 430: a retrospective, 1971-2001.- Part VI Oxygen Evolution: Apparatus and mechanism of photosynthetic oxygen evolution: a personal perspective.- Period-four oscillations of the flash-induced oxygen formation in photosynthesis.- Period four oscillations in chlorophyll a fluorescence- Chloride and calcium in Photosystem II: from effects to enigma.- The bicarbonate effect, oxygen evolution, and the shadow of Otto Warburg.- Early indications for manganese oxidation state changes during photosynthetic oxygen production.-Part VII Light-harvesting and Pigment-protein Complexes: Purple bacterial light-harvesting complexes: From dreams to structures.- The Fenna-Matthews-Olson protein.- Physical separation of chlorophyll-protein complexes.-How the chlorophyll-proteins got their names.- Phycobiliproteins and phycobilisomes: the early observations.- Part VIII Electron Transport and ATP Synthesis: Discovery and characterization of electron transfer proteins in the photosynthetic bacteria.- Membrane-anchored cytochrome c as an electron carrier in photosynthesis and respiration: past, present and future of an unexpected discovery.- The Q-cycle:a personal perspective.- The isolation of functional cytochrome b6-f complex: From lucky encounter to rewardingexperience.- Ironies in photosynthetic electron transport