The low photosynthetic efficiency of chlorophyll in freshly collected red algae, can, in the case of Porphyra perforata, P. nereocystis, and Porphyridium cruentum, be increased by growing the algae for 10 days in red or blue light. Exposure to darkness or to green light maintains the algae in their originally low efficiency with respect to chlorophyll, while retaining the high efficiency of phy...