When brighter light does less

Patterns Revealed

Can more light mean less photosynthetic efficiency? The study description says yes for rehydrated lichen soil crusts. ☀️
Light is an energy input. In the described rehydrated crusts, measured photosynthetic efficiency fell as light intensity rose. 🌱
Non-photochemical quenching, or NPQ, dissipates excess light energy instead of using it for photosynthesis. ✨
Limit: the light level that saturates photosynthesis depends on hydration. This described result is not a rule for every lichen. 💧

When brighter light does less

Explore related topics