Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-24-2023
Publication Title
Annual Review of Physical Chemistry
Abstract
Photosynthetic light harvesting exhibits near-unity quantum efficiency. The high efficiency is achieved through a series of energy and charge transfer steps within a network of pigment-containing proteins. Remarkably, high efficiency is conserved across many organisms despite differences in the protein structures and organization that allow each organism to respond to its own biological niche and the stressors within. In this review, we highlight recent progress toward understanding how organisms maintain optimal light-harvesting ability by acclimating to their environment. First, we review the building blocks of photosynthetic light harvesting, energy transfer, and time-resolved spectroscopic techniques. Then, we explore how three classes of photosynthetic organisms—purple bacteria, cyanobacteria, and green plants—optimize their light-harvesting apparatuses to their particular environment. Overall, research has shown that photosynthetic energy transfer is robust to changing environmental conditions, with each organism utilizing its own strategies to optimize photon capture in its particular biological niche.
Keywords
energy transfer, light harvesting, photosynthesis, ultrafast dynamics
Volume
74
First Page
493
Last Page
520
DOI
10.1146/annurev-physchem-083122-111318
ISSN
0066426X
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Rights
Copyright © 2023 by the author(s)
Version
Version of Record
Recommended Citation
Fiebig, Olivia C.; Harris, Dvir; Wang, Dihao; Hoffmann, Madeline P.; and Schlau-Cohen, Gabriela S., "Ultrafast Dynamics of Photosynthetic Light Harvesting: Strategies for Acclimation Across Organisms" (2023). Chemistry: Faculty Publications, Smith College, Northampton, MA.
https://scholarworks.smith.edu/chm_facpubs/99
Comments
Archived as published.