Ask Science
Ask a science question, get a science answer.
Community Rules
Rule 1: Be respectful and inclusive.
Treat others with respect, and maintain a positive atmosphere.
Rule 2: No harassment, hate speech, bigotry, or trolling.
Avoid any form of harassment, hate speech, bigotry, or offensive behavior.
Rule 3: Engage in constructive discussions.
Contribute to meaningful and constructive discussions that enhance scientific understanding.
Rule 4: No AI-generated answers.
Strictly prohibit the use of AI-generated answers. Providing answers generated by AI systems is not allowed and may result in a ban.
Rule 5: Follow guidelines and moderators' instructions.
Adhere to community guidelines and comply with instructions given by moderators.
Rule 6: Use appropriate language and tone.
Communicate using suitable language and maintain a professional and respectful tone.
Rule 7: Report violations.
Report any violations of the community rules to the moderators for appropriate action.
Rule 8: Foster a continuous learning environment.
Encourage a continuous learning environment where members can share knowledge and engage in scientific discussions.
Rule 9: Source required for answers.
Provide credible sources for answers. Failure to include a source may result in the removal of the answer to ensure information reliability.
By adhering to these rules, we create a welcoming and informative environment where science-related questions receive accurate and credible answers. Thank you for your cooperation in making the Ask Science community a valuable resource for scientific knowledge.
We retain the discretion to modify the rules as we deem necessary.
view the rest of the comments
Awesome, so if I’m reading that right UV can contribute to growth, and IR doesn’t contribute much at all. The blue and red end of the visible spectrum encourages growth, however it can pretty much occur at any visible wavelength, just not as efficient as the bands listed on the image.
Blue and red are the biggest drivers for photosynthesis, but other wavelengths have effects on the plants as well. For example, far red light (infrared) has a huge influence on flowering and stem elongation in many plants. They really rely on light for a lot of cues for regulation.
Edit: words
That chart is a good starting point, but it doesn't tell the whole story. It only shows the absorption spectrum for Chlorophyll A, which is a key pigment for photosynthesis in all plant species, but there is also Chlorophyll B, and there are numerous other so called accessory pigments (beta carotinoids are the most common examples), that can work in conjunction with chlorophyll in a photosystem to collect light of different wavelengths. Algae in particular show a greater diversity of accessory pigments. They have evolved use light at different depths below the water surface, where it reaches them with a different spectrum, because water itself absorbs part of it. Have a look at red algae and brown algae, for example.
So if you want to grow algae in a controlled environment, you should do some research about the particular absorption preferences of the species you'd like to grow.