Light and Photosynthesis in Aquatic Ecosystems

Download or read book Light and Photosynthesis in Aquatic Ecosystems written by John T. O. Kirk and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1994-04-21 with total page 530 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Penetration of light into aquatic ecosystems is greatly affected by the absorption and scattering processes that take place within the water. Thus within any water body, the intensity and colour of the light field changes greatly with depth and this has a marked influence on both the total productivity of, and the kinds of plant that predominate in, the ecosystem. This study presents an integrated and coherent treatment of the key role of light in aquatic ecosystems. It ranges from the physics of light transmission within water, through the biochemistry and physiology of aquatic photosynthesis, to the ecological relationships which depend on the underwater light climate.