Phycobilisome light-harvesting efficiency in natural populations of the marine cyanobacteria Synechococcus increases with depth.

ABSTRACT: Cyanobacteria of the genus Synechococcus play a key role as primary producers and drivers of the global carbon cycle in temperate and tropical oceans. Synechococcus use phycobilisomes as photosynthetic light-harvesting antennas. These contain phycoerythrin, a pigment-protein complex specialized for absorption of blue light, which penetrates deep into open ocean water. As light declines with depth, Synechococcus photo-acclimate by increasing both the density of photosynthetic membranes and the size of the phycobilisomes. This is achieved with the addition of phycoerythrin units, as demonstrated in laboratory studies. In this study, we probed Synechococcus populations in an oligotrophic water column habitat at increasing depths. We observed morphological changes and indications for an increa

SUBMITTER: Kolodny Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9307576 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature