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A metabolic pathway called the glyoxylate cycle allows seedlings to feed on the starches, proteins, and oils stored in seeds.

The glyoxylate cycle bypasses steps in the Krebs cycle where carbon is lost as CO2, so it should conserve carbon that could be used for growth.

Researchers found that the two small compounds glyoxylate and pyruvate reacted at moderate temperatures and acidity levels to make a range of compounds relevant to the TCA cycle.

This would require that abiotic processes that fix CO2 fed the system with glyoxylate and pyruvate.

The authors identify evidence from the scientific literature that supports the existence of such processes, but it is unclear whether these processes could have produced sufficient concentrations of glyoxylate and pyruvate to sustain emergent living organisms.