Influence of the quantity and quality of light on photosynthetic periodicity in coral endosymbiotic algae.

ABSTRACT: Symbiotic corals, which are benthic organisms intimately linked with their environment, have evolved many ways to deal with fluctuations in the local marine environment. One possible coping mechanism is the endogenous circadian clock, which is characterized as free running, maintaining a ~24 h periodicity of circuits under constant stimuli or in the absence of external cues. The quantity and quality of light were found to be the most influential factors governing the endogenous clock for plants and algae. Unicellular dinoflagellate algae are among the best examples of organisms that exhibit circadian clocks using light as the dominant signal. This study is the first to examine the effects of light intensity and quality on the rhythmicity of photosynthesis in the symbiotic dinoflagellate Sy

SUBMITTER: Sorek M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3422335 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature