Light absorption by phototrophic bacteria: effects of scattering, cell concentration and size of the culture vessel Authors Olga Sánchez Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain Jordi Mas Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain Keywords: light absorption, phototrophic bacteria, light scattering, bacterial biomass, culture size Abstract This article analyzes how absorption of light by suspensions of phototrophic bacteria is modulated by changes in the biomass of the culture, the size of the culture vessel and by the presence of refractile structures within the cells. Increases in biomass and culture size result in higher rates of light absorption but in the decrease of the amount of energy available per cell. The presence of refractile structures has different consequences depending on the biomass concentration. In dense cultures, the accumulation of refractile structures increases the reflection of light, and also reduces specific light absorption. In diluted cultures, however, the effect is the opposite, and refractile structures seem to increase light absorption. Downloads PDF Published 2010-03-16 Issue Vol. 2 No. 4 (1999) Section Research Articles License Submission of a manuscript to International Microbiology implies: that the work described has not been published before, including publication in the World Wide Web (except in the form of an Abstract or as part of a published lecture, review, or thesis); that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere; that all the coauthors have agreed to its publication. The corresponding author signs for and accepts responsability for releasing this material and will act on behalf of any and all coauthors regarding the editorial review and publication process.If an article is accepted for publication in International Microbiology, the authors (or other copyright holder) must transfer to the journal the right–not exclusive–to reproduce and distribute the article including reprints, translations, photographic reproductions, microform, electronic form (offline, online) or any other reproductions of similar nature. Nevertheless, all article in International Microbiology will be available on the Internet to any reader at no cost. The journal allows users to freely download, copy, print, distribute, search, and link to the full text of any article, provided the authorship and source of the published article is cited. The copyright owner's consent does not include copying for new works, or resale. In these cases, the specific written permission of International Microbiology must first be obtained.Authors are requested to create a link to the published article on the journal's website. The link must be accompanied by the following text: "The original publication is available on LINK at <http://www.im.microbios.org>. Please use the appropiate URL for the article in LINK. Articles disseminated via LINK are indexed, abstracted, and referenced by many abstracting and information services, bibliographic networks, subscription agencies, library networks, and consortia.
