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PHOTOSYNTHESIS UNDER SIMULATED RED DWARF STAR LIGHT:
EXPLORING THE LIMITS OF PAR RADIATION.
Nicoletta La Rocca,1,2 Riccardo Claudi3, Luca Poletto4, Mariano Battistuzzi1,6, Lorenzo
Cocola3, Eleonora Alei2,4, Bernardo Salasnich1, Tomas Morosinotto1,2
1Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova (Italy)
2Botanical Garden, University of Padova, Padova (Italy)
3Astronomical Observatory, INAF, Padova (Italy);
4LUXOR, CNR–IFN, Padova (Italy)
5Department of Physics and Astronomy, Padova (Italy);
6CISAS, Padova (Italy)
e-mail: nicoletta.larocca@unipd.it
The recent discovery of a number of rocky exoplanets orbiting in the habitable zone of
their Red Dwarf stars is offering new challenges to answer the question whether life could
be possible in other worlds beyond our solar system. In this frame in Padova is active an
interdisciplinary collaboration between researchers of the Department of Biology, the
Astronomical Observatory (INAF) and the Institute of Photonics and Nanotechnology (IFN-
CNR). A light simulator capable of reproducing different stellar spectra and an atmosphere
simulation chamber have been developed. The growth and photosynthetic performances
of selected microorganisms irradiated with Red Dwarf star or solar simulated lights have
been analyzed. Experiments were carried out with photosynthetic organisms selected
between cyanobacteria strains recently demonstrated to be able to perform both far-red
and low light acclimation, due to the presence of peculiar chlorophyll forms (chl d and f)1
and phycobilisomes organization. Preliminary results of this pioneering experiment, on the
possibility of oxygenic photosynthesis in habitable planets irradiated by M stars, will be
presented. Their importance for remote detection of exotic life will be discussed.
References
1. Gan & Bryant 2015 Environmental Microbiology 17(10):3450-65