A Xanthophyll Characteristic of Deep-Water Green Algae Lacking Siphonaxanthin

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Abstract
Some green algae [Cladophora ohkuboana, C. japonica, Cladophoropsis zollingeri, Microidictyon japonicum] growing in deep waters or shaded sites lack siphonaxanthin despite the expectation that they contain this xanthophyll, which is an efficient photosynthetic pigment collecting the green light prevailing in deep waters and shaded sites. These algae have another xanthophyll, which has been identified as loroxanthin, the direct precursor of siphonaxanthin. In vivo absorption spctra of those algae indicate that loroxanthin absorbs green light less efficiently than siphonaxanthin.