abstract |
Mutant photosynthetic microorganisms are provided with less chlorophyll and greater photosynthetic efficacy. The mutants have a blocked high-light acclimatized phenotype, where many of the characteristic photosynthetic parameters of wild-type cells acclimated to high light are found in LIHLA mutants when acclimatized in low light, such as lower chlorophyll, lower NPQ, higher qP, higher Ek, greater Pmax per unit of chlorophyll with little or no reduction of Pmax per cell, and higher electron transport speeds through photosystem II over a wide range of light intensities. Construction is provided herein to attenuate or alter genes to generate mutants with the LIHLA phenotype. Methods for cultivating LIHLA mutants for the production of biomass or other products are also provided. |