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Marine Botany
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Monterey
Bay Flora
Methods PHYCOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA |
Diatoms: Critical Depth for PhotosynthesisThe intensity of light in the ocean changes with the depth below the surface. When sunlight hits the surface of the water, the intensity is at a maximum. The light is absorbed as it percolates down into the water column. Thus, the farther below the surface of the water an alga lives, the less intense light it sees. With increasing depth, light may become the limiting factor affecting the rate of photosynthesis. At a particular depth, it becomes too dark for an alga to do enough photosynthesis to meet its energy needs. This is the critical depth, below which an alga cannot grow and reproduce. Photo Gallery
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