Cyanobacterium Uses Far-Red Light for Photosynthesis

The cyanobacterium Acaryochloris marina can photosynthesize using far-red light at the edge of the visible spectrum. Researchers mapped the pigment-protein complexes responsible for absorbing light at longer wavelengths than those used by most plants.

The analysis showed that specific chlorophyll variants and antenna structures allow the organism to capture photons that standard photosynthetic systems largely ignore. These adaptations expand the usable portion of the solar spectrum for energy conversion.

The findings provide a reference for efforts to modify crop plants to utilize a wider range of light wavelengths. Further laboratory work could test whether similar pigment arrangements can be introduced into agricultural species.