Photosynthetic diatoms thrive in varied aquatic environments. The same species may be found in coastal regions with cloudy waters due to wave activity and also in the oceanic water column where static waters result in less abundant minerals. Despite being responsible for up to 25% of Earth’s carbon fixation, these organisms are not well understood. We are studying how diatoms tune their light-harvesting machinery based on their native environment. Steady-state absorbance and fluorescence spectra give us hints about their machinery, and fluorescence lifetimes inform us on the energy transfer dynamics, allowing us to learn about the path energy takes through the photosynthetic apparatus.

Effect of native coastal or oceanic environment on light-harvesting machinery in photosynthetic diatoms

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.