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FLUCTUATING PHOTOSYNTHETIC UNITS IN HIGHER PLANTS AND FAIRLY CONSTANT UNITS IN ALGAE *
Author(s) -
SCHMID G. H.,
GAFFRON H.
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
photochemistry and photobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.818
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1751-1097
pISSN - 0031-8655
DOI - 10.1111/j.1751-1097.1971.tb06185.x
Subject(s) - photosynthesis , algae , classification of discontinuities , flash (photography) , range (aeronautics) , botany , chlorophyll , chlorophyll a , constant (computer programming) , unit (ring theory) , biology , analytical chemistry (journal) , chemistry , physics , astrophysics , mathematics , optics , materials science , environmental chemistry , computer science , mathematical analysis , composite material , programming language , mathematics education
— In the present paper we define the photosynthetic unit as the number of chlorophyll molecules involved in the fixation of one molecule of CO 2 during strong short flashes lasting less than 100 μsec, because this is what we have measured experimentally. These units vaned between 300 and 5000 chlorophylls per CO 2 fixed per flash in all higher plants tested. The statistical frequency distribution of the unit sizes for a given plant species as analyzed by a computer showed discontinuities of the same kind as we have pointed out before. Within the overall range of 300 to 5000 chlorophylls per CO 2 fixed per flash, integration of the unit size density over small increments of 50 chlorophylls per CO 2 fixed per flash showed the existence of distinct subgroups of unit sizes.