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Journal List > Plant Physiol > v.66(4); Oct 1980

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Plant Physiol. 1980 October; 66(4): 592–595.
PMCID: PMC440685
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Light—Shade Adaptation 1
TWO STRATEGIES IN MARINE PHYTOPLANKTON
Paul G. Falkowski and Thomas G. Owens
Oceanographic Sciences Division, Department of Energy and Environment, Upton, New York 11973
Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973
1 This research was performed under the auspices of the United States Department of Energy under contract DE-AC02-76CH00016.
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Abstract
Using chlorophyll/P700 ratios, the size and number of photosynthetic units were estimated, as a function of light-shade adaptation in two species of marine phytoplankton: Skeletonema costatum, a diatom, and Dunaliella tertiolecta, a chlorophyte. In the diatom, light-shade adaptation is characterized primarily by changes in the size and not the number of P700 units, whereas in the chlorophyte, overall changes in chlorophyll content are related to changes in the number and not the size of P700 units. A correlation between the characteristics of P700 units and photosynthetic responses was not established. Both strategies of light-shade adaptation effectively harvest and transfer light energy to reaction centers, however, the Skeletonema strategy is more effective at subsaturating intensities. The two strategies may represent an evolutionary divergence in photosynthetic adaptation to variations in light intensity.
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Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
  • Beale Samuel I, Appleman David. Chlorophyll Synthesis in Chlorella: Regulation by Degree of Light Limitation of Growth. Plant Physiol. 1971 Feb;47(2):230–235. [PubMed]
  • GUILLARD RR, RYTHER JH. Studies of marine planktonic diatoms. I. Cyclotella nana Hustedt, and Detonula confervacea (cleve) Gran. Can J Microbiol. 1962 Apr;8:229–239. [PubMed]
  • Herron HA, Mauzerall D. The Development of Photosynthesis in a Greening Mutant of Chlorella and an Analysis of the Light Saturation Curve. Plant Physiol. 1972 Jul;50(1):141–148. [PubMed]
  • Hiyama T, Ke B. Difference spectra and extinction coefficients of P 700 . Biochim Biophys Acta. 1972 Apr 20;267(1):160–171. [PubMed]
  • Myers Jack, Graham Jo-Ruth. The Photosynthetic Unit in Chlorella Measured by Repetitive Short Flashes. Plant Physiol. 1971 Sep;48(3):282–286. [PubMed]
  • Owens Thomas G, Riper David M, Falkowski Paul G. Studies of Delta-Aminolevulinic Acid Dehydrase from Skeletonema costatum, a Marine Plankton Diatom. Plant Physiol. 1978 Oct;62(4):516–521. [PubMed]
  • Prézelin Barbara B, Alberte Randall S. Photosynthetic characteristics and organization of chlorophyll in marine dinoflagellates. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1978 Apr;75(4):1801–1804. [PubMed]
  • Riper David M, Owens Thomas G, Falkowski Paul G. Chlorophyll Turnover in Skeletonema costatum, a Marine Plankton Diatom. Plant Physiol. 1979 Jul;64(1):49–54. [PubMed]
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