This configuration is of special interest because the light source targets exclusively light uptake by accessory photosynthetic pigments in both algae and cyanobacteria (i.e. not Chla), which may render community F v/F m more sensitive to changes in the accessory pigment composition, and thus to environmental conditions. Discussion Cyanobacteria species that are considered harmful due to the production of toxins, odorous compounds, surface scums, or benthic mats, are widespread in coastal and inland water bodies, particularly in eutrophic

systems (e.g. Hallegraeff 1993; Anderson et al. 2002). Blooms of these species negatively impact ecosystem value. Monitoring the presence and activity of cyanobacteria is therefore a pressing matter in environmental policy. The distinct absorption and fluorescence properties of cyanobacteria caused by the prominent role of phycobilipigments in photosynthetic this website see more light harvesting are already used to complement traditional observation methods (e.g. microscope counts) in environmental monitoring (Lee et al. 1994; Izydorczyk et al. 2005; Seppälä et al. 2007). Variable fluorescence measurements are increasingly included in these monitoring efforts, to reveal spatiotemporal trends in photosynthetic capacity or even photosynthetic activity of the phytoplankton. FRRF instruments equipped with a series of excitation sources are increasingly becoming available, and can be used

to determine both

the quantum yield of photochemistry and the functional absorption cross-section of PSII at e.g. blue, green and orange or red wavelengths. With Gefitinib ic50 these instruments it is possible to better assess the role of phytoplankton that efficiently harvest green and orange light in aquatic photosynthesis in environments where terrigenous organic matter skews the available radiation towards the green part of the light spectrum. Such knowledge may be used to determine ecophysiological constraints of coastal and freshwater phytoplankton, but in a wider sense also help to better represent the role of light uptake in ecosystem models that focus on the environments most exposed to, and most important to, human activities. This progress in FRRF design is made possible through more efficient light sources and detectors that have become available in recent years. It is therefore timely to conceive what properties the optimal instrument for these environments should possess and what pitfalls might be avoided. Some properties of cyanobacterial fluorescence emission must be taken into account when deciding upon the optimal detection C646 mouse waveband of the fluorometer, and before interpreting fluorescence induction results obtained with different fluorometer configuration. The major light harvesting pigments for photosynthesis in cyanobacteria are organized in the PBS which holds a group of highly fluorescent phycobilipigments.