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Aquatic photosynthesis is the occurrence of photosynthesis in the aquatic environment, which includes the freshwater environment and the marine (saltwater) environment. Organisms that perform photosynthesis in the aquatic environment include but are not limited to plants , algae , cyanobacteria , [ 1 ] coral , [ 2 ] phytoplankton (also known as ...
However, most marine primary production comes from organisms which use photosynthesis on the carbon dioxide dissolved in the water. This process uses energy from sunlight to convert water and carbon dioxide [ 4 ] : 186–187 into sugars that can be used both as a source of chemical energy and of organic molecules that are used in the structural ...
Phytoplankton (/ ˌ f aɪ t oʊ ˈ p l æ ŋ k t ə n /) are the autotrophic (self-feeding) components of the plankton community and a key part of ocean and freshwater ecosystems.The name comes from the Greek words φυτόν (phyton), meaning 'plant', and πλαγκτός (planktos), meaning 'wanderer' or 'drifter'.
Photoautotrophs are organisms that can utilize light energy from sunlight and elements (such as carbon) from inorganic compounds to produce organic materials needed to sustain their own metabolism (i.e. autotrophy). Such biological activities are known as photosynthesis, and examples of such organisms include plants, algae and cyanobacteria.
Most photosynthetic organisms are photoautotrophs, which means that they are able to synthesize food directly from carbon dioxide and water using energy from light. However, not all organisms use carbon dioxide as a source of carbon atoms to carry out photosynthesis; photoheterotrophs use organic compounds, rather than carbon dioxide, as a ...
In the photic zone, the photosynthesis rate exceeds the respiration rate. This is due to the abundant solar energy which is used as an energy source for photosynthesis by primary producers such as phytoplankton. These phytoplankton grow extremely quickly because of sunlight's heavy influence, enabling it to be produced at a fast rate. In fact ...
Because coccolithophores are photosynthetic organisms, they are able to use some of the CO 2 released in the calcification reaction for photosynthesis. [ 101 ] However, the production of calcium carbonate drives surface alkalinity down, and in conditions of low alkalinity the CO 2 is instead released back into the atmosphere. [ 102 ]
Microalgae, capable of performing photosynthesis, are important for life on earth; they produce approximately half of the atmospheric oxygen [2] and use the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide to grow photoautotrophically. "Marine photosynthesis is dominated by microalgae, which together with cyanobacteria, are collectively called phytoplankton."