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The low-light adapted subspecies is otherwise known to have a higher ratio of chlorophyll b2 to chlorophyll a2, [29] which aids in its ability to absorb blue light. [32] Blue light is able to penetrate ocean waters deeper than the rest of the visible spectrum, and can reach depths of >200 m, depending on the turbidity of the water.
Chlorophyll is any of several related green pigments found in cyanobacteria and in the chloroplasts of algae and plants. [2] Its name is derived from the Greek words χλωρός (khloros, "pale green") and φύλλον (phyllon, "leaf"). [3] Chlorophyll allows plants to absorb energy from light.
The tiny marine cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus, discovered in 1986, forms today part of the base of the ocean food chain and accounts for more than half the photosynthesis of the open ocean [23] and an estimated 20% of the oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere. [24]
In 1986, Prochlorococcus, which is found in high abundance in oligotrophic areas of the ocean, was discovered by Sallie W. Chisholm, Robert J. Olson, and other collaborators (although there had been several earlier records of very small cyanobacteria containing chlorophyll b in the ocean [4] [5] Prochlorococcus was discovered in 1986 [6]). [7]
It was first discovered in 1993 from coastal isolates of coral in the Republic of Palau in the west Pacific Ocean and announced in 1996. [6] Despite the claim in the 1996 Nature paper that its formal description was to be published shortly thereafter, [6] a tentative partial description was presented in 2003 due to phylogenetic issues (deep branching cyanobacterium).
The tiny marine cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus was discovered in 1986 and accounts for more than half of the photosynthesis of the open ocean. [99] Circadian rhythms were once thought to only exist in eukaryotic cells but many cyanobacteria display a bacterial circadian rhythm .
The concentration of chlorophyll A is used as an index of phytoplankton biomass. In the ocean, phytoplankton all contain the chlorophyll pigment, which has a greenish color. Phytoplankton are microscopic organisms that live in watery environments and changes in the amount of phytoplankton indicate the change in productivity of the ocean.
For example, Ware and Thomson (2005) found an r 2 of 0.87 between resident fish yield (metric tons km-2) and mean annual chlorophyll a concentrations (mg m-3). [13] Others have found the Pacific's Transition Zone Chlorophyll Front (chlorophyll density of 0.2 mg m-3) to be defining feature in loggerhead turtle distribution. [14]