Carbon fixation refers to any process through which gaseous carbon dioxide is converted into a solid compound. It mostly refers to the processes found in autotrophs (organisms that produce their own food), usually driven by photosynthesis, whereby carbon dioxide is changed into sugars. Carbon fixation can also be carried out by the process of calcification in marine, calcifying organisms such as Emiliania huxleyi and also by heterotrophic organisms in some circumstances.
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The Calvin Cycle is the most common biological method of carbon fixation.
In plants, there are three types of carbon fixation during photosynthesis:
In addition to the Calvin cycle, the following alternative pathways are currently known to be used in certain autotrophic microorganisms:
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