How Does Photosynthesis Take Place in Our Oceans?

The food we eat ultimately comes from plants, either directly or indirectly. The importance of plants as the global kitchen can never be underestimated. Plants “eat” sunlight and carbon dioxide to produce their own food and food for the millions of other organisms dependent on them. A molecule, chlorophyll (Chl), is crucial for this process, since it absorbs sunlight. However, the way land plants produce their food is very different from the way plants in the oceans produce their food. Since it is difficult for light to reach underneath the water in the oceans, food production, scientifically called photosynthesis, becomes very slow. Phycobiliproteins are proteins that make this job easier, by absorbing the available light and passing it on to Chl. These phycobiliproteins are found in tiny, invisible organisms called cyanobacteria. Their “food-producing” reactions are critical for the survival of many living organisms like fish, birds, and other sea life. It is, therefore, very important for everyone to understand how cyanobacteria make their food, and what important roles the phycobiliproteins play in the process. REVIEWED BY: