Effects of light quality and irradiance level interactions on short- term pigment response of the red alga Corallina elongata

Abstract

During a short-term accommodation process (0 to 5h), pigments adapted chromatically to light quality. R-phycoerythrin and R-phycocyanin increases were induced under green light at 180μmol m-2s-1. In contrast, chlorophyll a increased only under red light at the same irradiance level. In an energy-limited situation, at an irradiance (20 μmol m-2s-1) close to the photosynthetic compensation point of C. elongata, the accommodation process was inhibited and no chromatic response was detected. -from Authors