What limits photosynthetic energy conversion efficiency in nature? Lessons from the oceans
Open accessAbstract
Constraining photosynthetic energy conversion efficiency in nature is challenging. In principle, two yield measurements must be made simultaneously: photochemistry, fluorescence and/or thermal dissipation. We constructed two different, extremely sensitive and precise active fluorometers: one measures the quantum yield of photochemistry from changes in variable fluorescence, the other measures fluorescence lifetimes in the picosecond time domain. By deploying the pair of instruments on eight transoceanic cruises over six years, we obtained over 200 000 measurements of fluorescence yields and lifetimes from surface waters in five ocean basins. Our results revealed that the average quantum yield of photochemistry was approximately 0.35 while the average quantum yield of fluorescence was approximately 0.07. Thus, closure on the energy budget suggests that, on average, approximately 58% of the photons absorbed by phytoplankton in the world oceans are dissipated as heat. This extraordinary inefficiency is associated with the paucity of nutrients in the upper ocean, especially dissolved inorganic nitrogen and iron. Our results strongly suggest that, in nature, most of the time, most of the phytoplankton community operates at approximately half of its maximal photosynthetic energy conversion efficiency because nutrients limit the synthesis or function of essential components in the photosynthetic apparatus. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Enhancing photosynthesis in crop plants: targets for improvement’.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
According to the literature, the fluorescence lifetimes of chlorophyll a range from 3.0 to 5.1 ns for an isolated molecule, depending on the polarity of the solvent.
“According to the literature, the fluorescence lifetimes of chlorophyll a range from 3.0 to 5.1 ns for an isolated molecule, depending on the polarity of the solvent [20].”
From Photoacoustic and fluorescence lifetime imaging of diatoms (2020) · cites this paper as [20]
In living cells, the fluorescence lifetime of chlorophyll a ranges from 0.3 to about 1.5 ns, because a great amount of absorbed energy is used in photochemical reactions.
“In living cells, the lifetime ranges from 0.3 to about 1.5 ns, because a great amount of absorbed energy is used in photochemical reactions [20].”
From Photoacoustic and fluorescence lifetime imaging of diatoms (2020) · cites this paper as [20]
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
Principles of Fluorescence Spectroscopy
Lakowicz, J. R. (1999) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4757-3061-6 · Cited by 26,948 · see citing works
Principles of Fluorescence Spectroscopy
Lakowicz, J. R. (2006) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-0-387-46312-4 · Cited by 19,375 · see citing works
Primary production of the biosphere: Integrating terrestrial and oceanic components
Field, C. B., Behrenfeld, M. J., Randerson, J. T., & Falkowski, P. (1998) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.281.5374.237 · Cited by 6,371 · see citing works
Self-citationChlorophyll Fluorescence And Photosynthesis: The Basics
Krause, G. H., & Weis, E. (1991) · Annual Review of Plant Physiology and Plant Molecular Biology · doi:10.1146/annurev.pp.42.060191.001525 · Cited by 4,278 · see citing works
Schreiber, U., Schliwa, U., & Bilger, W. (1986) · Photosynthesis Research · doi:10.1007/bf00024185 · Cited by 2,861 · see citing works
Analysis of variations in ocean color1
Morel, A., & Prieur, L. M. (1977) · Limnology and Oceanography · doi:10.4319/lo.1977.22.4.0709 · Cited by 2,562 · see citing works
Processes and patterns of oceanic nutrient limitation
Moore, C. M., Mills, M. M., Arrigo, K. R., Berman-Frank, I., Bopp, L., Boyd, P. W., Galbraith, E. D., Geider, R. J., Guieu, C., Jaccard, S. L., et al. (2013) · Nature Geoscience · doi:10.1038/ngeo1765 · Cited by 2,236 · see citing works
Falkowski, P. G., & Raven, J. A. (2007) · Princeton University Press eBooks · doi:10.1515/9781400849727 · Cited by 1,958 · see citing works
Self-citationMesoscale Iron Enrichment Experiments 1993-2005: Synthesis and Future Directions
Boyd, P. W., Jickells, T., Law, C. S., Blain, S., Boyle, E. A., Buesseler, K. O., Coale, K. H., Cullen, J. J., de Baar, H. J. W., Follows, M., et al. (2007) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1131669 · Cited by 1,542 · see citing works
A semianalytic radiance model of ocean color
Gordon, H. R., Brown, O. B., Evans, R. H., Brown, J. W., Smith, R. C., Baker, K. S., & Clark, D. K. (1988) · Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres · doi:10.1029/jd093id09p10909 · Cited by 1,308 · see citing works
Synthesis of iron fertilization experiments: From the Iron Age in the Age of Enlightenment
de Baar, H. J. W., Boyd, P. W., Coale, K. H., Landry, M. R., Tsuda, A., Assmy, P., Bakker, D. C. E., Bozec, Y., Barber, R. T., Brzezinski, M. A., et al. (2005) · Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres · doi:10.1029/2004jc002601 · Cited by 947 · see citing works
Self-citationKolber, Z., Prášil, O., & Falkowski, P. (1998) · Biochimica et Biophysica Acta · doi:10.1016/s0005-2728(98)00135-2 · Cited by 902 · see citing works
Self-citationEnergy Distribution in the Photochemical Apparatus of Photosynthesis
Butler, W. L. (1978) · Annual Review of Plant Physiology · doi:10.1146/annurev.pp.29.060178.002021 · Cited by 846 · see citing works
Southern Ocean Iron Enrichment Experiment: Carbon Cycling in High- and Low-Si Waters
Coale, K. H., Johnson, K. S., Chavez, F. P., Buesseler, K. O., Barber, R. T., Brzezinski, M. A., Cochlan, W. P., Millero, F. J., Falkowski, P. G., Bauer, J. E., et al. (2004) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1089778 · Cited by 602 · see citing works
Self-citationAn overview of MODIS capabilities for ocean science observations
Esaias, W. E., Abbott, M. R., Barton, I. J., Brown, O. B., Campbell, J. W., Carder, K. L., Clark, D. K., Evans, R. H., Hoge, F. E., Gordon, H. R., et al. (1998) · IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing · doi:10.1109/36.701076 · Cited by 524 · see citing works
Kolber, Z., Zehr, J. P., & Falkowski, P. G. (1988) · PLANT PHYSIOLOGY · doi:10.1104/pp.88.3.923 · Cited by 504 · see citing works
Self-citationConfirmation of iron limitation of phytoplankton photosynthesis in the equatorial Pacific Ocean
Behrenfeld, M. J., Bale, A. J., Kolber, Z., Aiken, J., & Falkowski, P. G. (1996) · Nature · doi:10.1038/383508a0 · Cited by 459 · see citing works
Self-citationSuggett, D., Moore, C. M., Hickman, A. E., & Geider, R. (2008) · Marine Ecology Progress Series · doi:10.3354/meps07830 · Cited by 384 · see citing works
Satellite-detected fluorescence reveals global physiology of ocean phytoplankton
Behrenfeld, M. J., Westberry, T. K., Boss, E., O’Malley, R. T., Siegel, D. A., Wiggert, J. D., Franz, B. A., McClain, C. R., Feldman, G. C., Doney, S. C., et al. (2009) · Biogeosciences · doi:10.5194/bg-6-779-2009 · Cited by 376 · see citing works
Iron limitation of phytoplankton photosynthesis in the equatorial Pacific Ocean
Kolber, Z., Barber, R. T., Coale, K. H., Fitzwateri, S. E., Greene, R. M., Johnson, K. S., Lindley, S. T., & Falkowski, P. G. (1994) · Nature · doi:10.1038/371145a0 · Cited by 361 · see citing works
Self-citationChlorophyll a fluorescence in phytoplankton: relationship to photosynthesis and biomass
Falkowski, P. G., & Kiefer, D. A. (1985) · Journal of Plankton Research · doi:10.1093/plankt/7.5.715 · Cited by 338 · see citing works
Self-citationGower, J. F. R., Doerffer, R., & Borstad, G. A. (1999) · International Journal of Remote Sensing · doi:10.1080/014311699212470 · Cited by 335 · see citing works
Controls on tropical Pacific Ocean productivity revealed through nutrient stress diagnostics
Behrenfeld, M., Worthington, K., Sherrell, R., Chavez, F., Strutton, P., McPhaden, M., & Shea, D. M. (2006) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature05083 · Cited by 285 · see citing works
Gervais, F., Riebesell, U., & Gorbunov, M. Y. (2002) · Limnology and Oceanography · doi:10.4319/lo.2002.47.5.1324 · Cited by 264 · see citing works
Self-citationPassive remote sensing of phytoplankton via chlorophyll α fluorescence
Neville, R. A., & Gower, J. F. R. (1977) · Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres · doi:10.1029/jc082i024p03487 · Cited by 240 · see citing works
Relationship of steady-state photosynthesis to fluorescence in eucaryotic algae
Falkowski, P. G., Wyman, K. D., Ley, A. C., & Mauzerall, D. C. (1986) · Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Bioenergetics · doi:10.1016/0005-2728(86)90024-1 · Cited by 190 · see citing works
Self-citationMalkin, S., & Cahln, D. (1979) · Photochemistry and Photobiology · doi:10.1111/j.1751-1097.1979.tb07770.x · Cited by 173 · see citing works
Excitation Lifetime of Photosynthetic Pigments in vitro and in vivo
Brody, S. S., & Rabinowitch, E. (1957) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.125.3247.555 · Cited by 153 · see citing works
Light-shade adaptation and vertical mixing of marine phytoplankton: A comparative field study
Falkowski, P. G. (1983) · Journal of Marine Research · doi:10.1357/002224083788520199 · Cited by 147 · see citing works
Self-citationHenrissat, B., Heffron, S. E., Yoder, M. D., Lietzke, S. E., & JURNAK, F. A. (1995) · PLANT PHYSIOLOGY · doi:10.1104/pp.107.3.963 · Cited by 127 · see citing works
On the Primary Nature of Fluorescence Yield Changes Associated with Photosynthesis
Butler, W. L. (1972) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.69.11.3420 · Cited by 127 · see citing works
Physiological Limitations on Phytoplankton Productivity in the Ocean
Falkowski, P. G., Greene, R. M., & Geider, R. J. (1992) · Oceanography · doi:10.5670/oceanog.1992.14 · Cited by 119 · see citing works
Self-citationFLUORESCENCE LIFETIMES IN PHOTOSYNTHETIC SYSTEMS
Holzwarth, A. R. (1986) · Photochemistry and Photobiology · doi:10.1111/j.1751-1097.1986.tb05650.x · Cited by 115 · see citing works
Vassiliev, I. R., Kolber, Z., Wyman, K. D., Mauzerall, D., Shukla, V. K., & Falkowski, P. G. (1995) · PLANT PHYSIOLOGY · doi:10.1104/pp.109.3.963 · Cited by 111 · see citing works
Self-citationHuot, Y., Brown, C. A., & Cullen, J. J. (2005) · Limnology and Oceanography Methods · doi:10.4319/lom.2005.3.108 · Cited by 106 · see citing works
Morrison, J. R. (2003) · Limnology and Oceanography · doi:10.4319/lo.2003.48.2.0618 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
Cerović, Z. G., Goulas, Y., Gorbunov, M. Y., Briantais, J. ‐., Camenen, L., & Moya, I. (1996) · Remote Sensing of Environment · doi:10.1016/s0034-4257(96)00076-4 · Cited by 88 · see citing works
Self-citationDetermination of the fluorescence quantum yield by oceanic phytoplankton in their natural habitat
Maritorena, S., Morel, A., & Gentili, B. (2000) · Applied Optics · doi:10.1364/ao.39.006725 · Cited by 84 · see citing works
The fate of photons absorbed by phytoplankton in the global ocean
Lin, H., Kuzminov, F. I., Park, J., Lee, S., Falkowski, P. G., & Gorbunov, M. Y. (2016) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.aab2213 · Cited by 84 · see citing works
Self-citationDecorrelation scales of chlorophyll as observed from bio-optical drifters in the California Current
Abbott, M. R., & Letelier, R. M. (1998) · Deep Sea Research Part II Topical Studies in Oceanography · doi:10.1016/s0967-0645(98)80011-8 · Cited by 77 · see citing works
Schrader, P. S., Milligan, A. J., & Behrenfeld, M. J. (2011) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0018753 · Cited by 77 · see citing works
Park, J., Kuzminov, F. I., Bailleul, B., Yang, E. J., Lee, S., Falkowski, P. G., & Gorbunov, M. Y. (2017) · Limnology and Oceanography · doi:10.1002/lno.10565 · Cited by 57 · see citing works
Self-citationAnanyev, G., Kolber, Z., Klimov, D. V., Falkowski, P. G., Berry, J. A., Rascher, U., Martin, R. E., & Osmond, B. (2005) · Global Change Biology · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2486.2005.00988.x · Cited by 51 · see citing works
Self-citationDevelopment and Application of Variable Chlorophyll Fluorescence Techniques in Marine Ecosystems
Falkowski, P. G., Koblfzek, M., Gorbunov, M. Y., & Kolber, Z. (2007) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4020-3218-9_30 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
Self-citationDetermination of Oxygen Emission and Uptake in Leaves by Pulsed, Time Resolved Photoacoustics
Mauzerall, D. C. (1990) · PLANT PHYSIOLOGY · doi:10.1104/pp.94.1.278 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
Chlorophyll natural fluorescence response to upwelling events in the Southern Ocean
Letelier, R. M., Abbott, M. R., & Karl, D. M. (1997) · Geophysical Research Letters · doi:10.1029/97gl00205 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Huot, Y., Franz, B. A., & Fradette, M. (2013) · Remote Sensing of Environment · doi:10.1016/j.rse.2013.01.003 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Bradbury, M., & Baker, N. R. (1983) · Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rspb.1983.0098 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Kuzminov, F. I., & Gorbunov, M. Y. (2015) · Photosynthesis Research · doi:10.1007/s11120-015-0180-3 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Self-citationRelationship between near-surface chlorophyll and solar-stimulated fluorescence: biological effects
Cullen, J. J., Ciotti, Á. M., Davis, R. F., & Neale, P. J. (1997) · Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE · doi:10.1117/12.266454 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Gordon, H. R., & Morel, A. (1983) · Lecture notes on coastal and estuarine studies · doi:10.1007/978-1-4684-6280-7_3 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Yan, C., Schofield, O., Dubinsky, Z., Mauzerall, D., Falkowski, P. G., & Gorbunov, M. Y. (2011) · Photosynthesis Research · doi:10.1007/s11120-011-9682-9 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Self-citationGorbunov, M. Y., & Chekalyuk, A. (2002) · IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS) · doi:10.1109/igarss.1994.399055 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Self-citation
Flagged first, then by citations
1 of the 54 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.
Research works printed but not linked: 1
- Gorbunov M, Falkowski P. 2005 Fluorescence induction and relaxation (FIRe) technique and instrumentation for monitoring photosynthetic processes and primary production in aquatic ecosystems. In Photosynthesis fundamental aspects to global perspectives, International Society of Photosynthesis (eds A van der Est, D Bruce), pp. 1029-1031. London, UK: Allen Press.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Ferreira, M. J., Silva, H., & Cunha, Â. (2019) · Pedosphere · doi:10.1016/s1002-0160(19)60810-6 · Cited by 158 · see citing works
Plant-Growth-Promoting Bacteria Mitigating Soil Salinity Stress in Plants
Shilev, S. (2020) · Applied Sciences · doi:10.3390/app10207326 · Cited by 128 · see citing works
Photosynthesis solutions to enhance productivity
Foyer, C. H., Ruban, A. V., & Nixon, P. J. (2017) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2016.0374 · Cited by 76 · see citing works
Hughes, D. J., Campbell, D. A., Doblin, M. A., Kromkamp, J. C., Lawrenz, E., Moore, C. M., Oxborough, K., Prášil, O., Ralph, P. J., Alvarez, M. F., et al. (2018) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/acs.est.8b03488 · Cited by 71 · see citing works
Schuback, N., Tortell, P. D., Berman‐Frank, I., Campbell, D. A., Ciotti, Á. M., Courtecuisse, E., Erickson, Z. K., Fujiki, T., Halsey, K. H., Hickman, A. E., et al. (2021) · Frontiers in Marine Science · doi:10.3389/fmars.2021.690607 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Self-citationIon and metabolite transport in the chloroplast of algae: lessons from land plants
Marchand, J., Heydarizadeh, P., Schoefs, B., & Spetea, C. (2018) · Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences · doi:10.1007/s00018-018-2793-0 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Gorbunov, M. Y., & Falkowski, P. G. (2021) · Annual Review of Marine Science · doi:10.1146/annurev-marine-032621-122346 · Cited by 60 · see citing works
Self-citationTemperate infection in a virus–host system previously known for virulent dynamics
Knowles, B., Bonachela, J. A., Behrenfeld, M. J., Bondoc, K. G. V., Cael, B. B., Carlson, C. A., Cieslik, N., Diaz, B. P., Fuchs, H. L., Graff, J. R., et al. (2020) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-020-18078-4 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Toward predicting photosynthetic efficiency and biomass gain in crop genotypes over a field season
Keller, B., Zimmermann, L., Rascher, U., Matsubara, S., Steier, A., & Muller, O. (2021) · PLANT PHYSIOLOGY · doi:10.1093/plphys/kiab483 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
Diel quenching of Southern Ocean phytoplankton fluorescence is related to iron limitation
Schallenberg, C., Strzepek, R. F., Schuback, N., Clementson, L. A., Boyd, P. W., & Trull, T. W. (2020) · Biogeosciences · doi:10.5194/bg-17-793-2020 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
Global declines in net primary production in the ocean color era
Silsbe, G. M., Fox, J. E., Westberry, T. K., & Halsey, K. H. (2025) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-025-60906-y · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Photosynthetic Energy Transfer at the Quantum/Classical Border
Keren, N., & Paltiel, Y. (2018) · Trends in Plant Science · doi:10.1016/j.tplants.2018.03.007 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Photosynthetic energy conversion efficiency in the West Antarctic Peninsula
Sherman, J., Gorbunov, M. Y., Schofield, O., & Falkowski, P. G. (2020) · Limnology and Oceanography · doi:10.1002/lno.11562 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Self-citationZaoli, S., Giometto, A., Emilio Marañón, C., Escrig, S., Meibom, A., Ahluwalia, A. D., Stocker, R., Maritan, A., & Rinaldo, A. (2019) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1906762116 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Photophysiology of nitrate limited phytoplankton communities in Kongsfjorden, Spitsbergen
Kulk, G., van de Poll, W. H., & Buma, A. G. J. (2018) · Limnology and Oceanography · doi:10.1002/lno.10963 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Kolodny, Y., Avrahami, Y., Zer, H., Frada, M. J., Paltiel, Y., & Keren, N. (2022) · Communications Biology · doi:10.1038/s42003-022-03677-2 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Dang, H., Klotz, M. G., Lovell, C. R., & Sievert, S. M. (2019) · Frontiers in Microbiology · doi:10.3389/fmicb.2019.00115 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Photoacoustic and fluorescence lifetime imaging of diatoms
Cvjetinovic, J., Salimon, A. I., Novoselova, M. V., Sapozhnikov, P. V., Shirshin, E. A., Yashchenok, A. M., Kalinina, O. Y., Korsunsky, A. M., & Gorin, D. A. (2020) · Photoacoustics · doi:10.1016/j.pacs.2020.100171 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
“5 ns, because a great amount of absorbed energy is used in photochemical reactions [20].”
BackgroundEffects of Exogenous L-Asparagine on Poplar Biomass Partitioning and Root Morphology
Han, M., Wang, S., Wu, L., Feng, J., Si, Y., Liu, X., & Su, T. (2022) · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · doi:10.3390/ijms232113126 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
A New Semi-Analytical MC Model for Oceanic LIDAR Inelastic Signals
Chen, S., Chen, P., Ding, L., & Pan, D. (2023) · Remote Sensing · doi:10.3390/rs15030684 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Somogyi, B., Boros, E., Tugyi, N., Kovács, A. W., & Vörös, L. (2022) · The Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154576 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Kaur, J., & Pandove, G. (2023) · Journal of Plant Nutrition · doi:10.1080/01904167.2023.2206425 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Lacour, T., Robert, E., & Lavaud, J. (2023) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-023-40298-z · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Assessment of phytoplankton photo-physiological status from a tropical monsoonal estuary
Patil, J. S., & Anil, A. C. (2019) · Ecological Indicators · doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.03.058 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Harnessing high-energy MLCT excited states for artificial photosynthesis
Cotic, A., Ramírez‐Wierzbicki, I., & Cadranel, A. (2024) · Coordination Chemistry Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.ccr.2024.215878 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Influence of iron and carbon on the occurrence of Ulva prolifera (Ulvophyceae) in the Yellow Sea
Shao, Z., Li, S., Cheng, H., Wu, Z., You, F., Zhang, H., & Yao, J. (2020) · Regional Studies in Marine Science · doi:10.1016/j.rsma.2020.101224 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Cadondon, J. G., Vallar, E. A., Shiina, T., & Galvez, M. C. (2024) · Marine Pollution Bulletin · doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116842 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Sherman, J., Subramaniam, A., Gorbunov, M. Y., Fernández-Carrera, A., Kiko, R., Brandt, P. N., & Falkowski, P. G. (2022) · Frontiers in Marine Science · doi:10.3389/fmars.2021.814663 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Self-citationYe, Z., Sawada, M., Iwasa, M., Moriyama, R., Dey, D., Furutani, M., Kitao, M., Hara, T., Tanaka, A., Kishimoto, J., et al. (2024) · Journal of Experimental Botany · doi:10.1093/jxb/erae412 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
The efficiency paradox: How wasteful competitors forge thrifty ecosystems
Vermeij, G. J. (2019) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1901785116 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Sezginer, Y., Suggett, D. J., Izett, R., & Tortell, P. D. (2021) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0256410 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Paul, A. J., Bach, L. T., Arı́stegui, J., von der Esch, E., Hernández‐Hernández, N., Piiparinen, J., Ramajo, L., Spilling, K., & Riebesell, U. (2022) · Biogeosciences · doi:10.5194/bg-19-5911-2022 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Cabrerizo, M. J., Helbling, E. W., Villafañe, V. E., Medina‐Sánchez, J. M., & Carrillo, P. (2020) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-020-76237-5 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Biswas, H. (2022) · Frontiers in Plant Science · doi:10.3389/fpls.2022.1028544 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Protonation-Enhanced Energy Transfer in Xanthorhodopsin Kin4B8
Fujimoto, K. J., Tsuzuki, Y. A., Konno, M., Nagata, T., Murakami, R., Inoue, K., & Yanai, T. (2025) · The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters · doi:10.1021/acs.jpclett.5c02898 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Zhu, Y., Feng, Y., Browning, T. J., Wen, Z., Hughes, D. J., Hao, Q., Zhang, R., Meng, Q., Wells, M. L., Jiang, Z., et al. (2022) · Frontiers in Microbiology · doi:10.3389/fmicb.2022.813573 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Chloroplast Ion and Metabolite Transport in Algae
Marchand, J., Heydarizadeh, P., Schoefs, B., & Spetea, C. (2020) · Advances in photosynthesis and respiration · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-33397-3_6 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
The structure, function, and utility of the rhizosphere microbiome of cereal crops
Chitara, M. K., Sharma, S., Parihar, M., Jeevan, B., Sangannavar, P. A., Kumar, A., Sathyanarayana, K., Kumar, J. S., Luikham, R., & Subrahmanyam, G. (2022) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-323-90590-9.00010-9 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Using picosecond fluorescence lifetime analysis to determine photosynthesis in the world’s oceans
Gorbunov, M. Y., & Falkowski, P. G. (2023) · Photosynthesis Research · doi:10.1007/s11120-023-01060-8 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Self-citationSezginer, Y., Suggett, D. J., Izett, R., & Tortell, P. D. (2021) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.1101/2021.08.17.456659
(2022) · Biogeosciences · doi:10.5194/bg-2022-44-rc1
Schallenberg, C. (2019) · Biogeosciences · doi:10.5194/bg-2019-337-ac2
Schallenberg, C. (2019) · Biogeosciences · doi:10.5194/bg-2019-337-ac1
(2022) · Biogeosciences · doi:10.5194/bg-2022-44-rc2
Paul, A. J. (2022) · Biogeosciences · doi:10.5194/bg-2022-44-ac2
Paul, A. J. (2022) · Biogeosciences · doi:10.5194/bg-2022-44-ac1
Smitha, B. R., & Hussain, M. S. (2023) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-34467-1_6
Analytical model of backscattering signals in lidars based on complex modulated photon density waves
Luchinin, A. G., Dolin, L. S., & Kirillin, M. (2025) · Applied Optics · doi:10.1364/ao.563113
Gaffey, C. B., Frey, K. E., Light, B., Cooper, L. W., & Grebmeier, J. M. (2026) · Journal of Geophysical Research Oceans · doi:10.1029/2025jc022895
Numerical Modelling of Fluorescence Lidar Signals in Case 1 Marine Waterrs
Glukhovets, D. I., Goldin, Y. A., Шеберстов, С. В., & Евгеньевич, Я. Л. (2025) · Light & Engineering · doi:10.33383/2025-024
Nanomaterials for improving photosynthetic efficiency: current innovations
Inam, A., Ahmad, A., Sheikh, M., Javad, S., Iqbal, S., & Chaudhry, O. (2026) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-443-44376-3.00004-5
- Authors
- Falkowski, P. G., Lin, H., & Gorbunov, M. Y.
- Affiliations
- Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (US)
- Corresponding author
- Falkowski, Paul G.
- Venue
- Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
- Publisher
- The Royal Society
- Published
- 2017-08-14
- Volume
- 372
- Issue
- 1730
- Pages
- 20160376
- ISSN
- 0962-8436 (ISSN-L)
- 1471-2970
- PMC
- PMC5566876
- OpenAlex
- W2749836920
- Cited by
- 52
- References
- 54
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 1
- FWCI
- 3.64
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- NASA (NNX16AT54G)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Oceanography › Marine and coastal ecosystems
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Photosynthetic Processes and Mechanisms
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Aquatic Ecosystems and Phytoplankton Dynamics
- Keywords
- phytoplankton, fluorescence yield, fluorescence lifetime, heat dissipation, energy budget closure, nutrient limitation, dissolved inorganic nitrogen, iron limitation, upper ocean, ocean surface water
- MeSH terms
- Energy Metabolism, Fluorescence, Fluorometry, Oceans and Seas, Photosynthesis, Phytoplankton, Photochemical Processes
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review