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how to tell if fossilized organisms were photosynthetic?

Can you give me 2 examples of how to tell if organisms who have been fossilized were photosynthetic? Thanks!

2 Answers

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  • ?
    Lv 7
    8 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    IIRC, one way is to examine the fossils for the presence of fossilized chloroplasts. In extant organisms, these structures are well defined and characteristic of a photosynthetic organism.

  • 8 years ago

    Compare them with living organisms. If you've found a fossilized plant, and comparisons lead you to conclude that all living plants photosynthesize, then this is very strong evidence for assuming that one did too.

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