Adaptive Responses of Photosynthesis in Phytoplankton: Specificity to Time-Scale of Change in Light

The relationship between photosynthesis and light intensity, as expressed by the P-I curve, is fundamental to models of primary production in the oceans. Adaptive responses of phytoplankton are manifested as changes in this relationship. Results presented here document specificity of P-I curve responses to different time-scales of change in light. These findings have implications for estimating phytoplankton production and for using changes in P-I curves to diagnose strategies of light adaptation.