Efficiency of light conversion by the blue-green alga Anacystis nidulans

Abstract

THE conversion efficiency of light energy into chemical energy, measured by production of organic matter, can be high with unicellular organisms. As photosynthesis becomes light saturated at relatively low light intensities, such high efficiencies are not usually obtained with high intensities of incident light. The saturation level, however, increases with increasing temperature. Blue-green algae grow well at high temperatures^1–3, suggesting that they may be efficient producers of organic matter. As the protein content of algae in general is high, growth of these organisms could have important implications for food production, especially in tropical areas, where both light intensity and temperature are favourable. We have therefore investigated some parameters influencing yield of production of Anacystis nidulans at high light intensities.