Karotenoiderna verkar skydda fotosynteskomplexet i dessa alger:
http://www.springerlink.com/content/vmmx4099v1njjalu/http://www.springerlink.com/content/v1171570148h5ph5/"It was found that T. aurea was able to produce
sixfold more b-carotene by the two-stage culture. As a result,
the light energy absorbed in the photosynthetic system
was not utilized sufficiently, and an excess of light energy
accelerated chlorophyll degradation due to photooxidation.
However, carotenoids such as b-carotene acting as accessory
pigments in the photosynthetic system can take over
any excess energy from the chlorophylls and protect them in
the photosynthetic reaction center by actively quenching the
triplet state of chlorophylls, singlet oxygen, and free radical
intermediate (Siefermann-Harms 1987), accumulating a
large amount of b-carotene in the cells under high light and
nitrogen starvation."