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The discovery of the cyanobacterium  Prochloron  was the first finding of a bacterial oxyphototroph with chlorophyll (Chl)  b , in addition to Chl  a . It was first described as  Prochloron didemni  but a number of clades have since been described.  Prochloron  is a conspicuously large (7–25 μm) unicellular cyanobacterium living in a symbiotic relationship, primarily with (sub-) tropical didemnid ascidians; it has resisted numerous cultivation attempts and appears truly obligatory symbiotic. Recently, a  Prochloron  draft genome was published, revealing no lack of metabolic genes that could explain the apparent inability to reproduce and sustain photosynthesis in a free-living stage. Possibly, the unsuccessful cultivation is partly due to a lack of knowledge about the microenvironmental conditions and ecophysiology of  Prochloron  in its natural habitat. We used microsensors, variable chlorophyll fluorescence imaging and imaging of O 2  and pH to obtain a detailed insight to the microenvironmental ecology and photobiology of  Prochloron in hospite  in the didemnid ascidian  Lissoclinum patella . The microenvironment within ascidians is characterized by steep gradients of light and chemical parameters that change rapidly with varying irradiances. The interior zone of the ascidians harboring  Prochloron  thus became anoxic and acidic within a few minutes of darkness, while the same zone exhibited O 2  super-saturation and strongly alkaline pH after a few minutes of illumination. Photosynthesis showed lack of photoinhibition even at high irradiances equivalent to full sunlight, and photosynthesis recovered rapidly after periods of anoxia. We discuss these new insights on the ecological niche of  Prochloron  and possible interactions with its host and other microbes in light of its recently published genome and a recent study of the overall microbial diversity and metagenome of  L. patella .

Microenvironmental Ecology of the Chlorophyll b-Containing Symbiotic Cyanobacterium Prochloron in the Didemnid Ascidian Lissoclinum patella