A discovery has been made that could enable scientists to design better ways to use light energy and to engineer crop plants that more efficiently harness the energy of the sun. The identification of a gene needed to expand light harvesting in photosynthesis into the far-red-light spectrum provides clues to the evolution of oxygen-producing photosynthesis, an evolutionary advance that changed the history of life on Earth. The researchers identified the gene that converts chlorophyll a -- the most abundant light-absorbing pigment used by plants and other organisms that harness energy through photosynthesis -- into chlorophyll f -- a type of chlorophyll that absorbs light in the far-red range of the light spectrum. There are several different types of chlorophyll, each tuned to absorb light in different wavelengths. Most organisms that get their energy from photosynthesis use light in the visible range, wavelengths of about 400 to 700 nanometers. Bryant's lab previously had shown that chlorophyll f allows certain cyanobacteria -- bacteria that use photosynthesis and that are sometimes called blue-green algae -- to grow efficiently in light just outside of the usual human visual range -- far-red light (700 to 800 nanometers). The ability to use light wavelengths other than those absorbed by plants, algae, and other cyanobacteria confers a powerful advantage to those organisms that produce chlorophyll f -- they can survive and grow when the visible light they normally use is blocked. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160707151115.htm
