Photosynthetic Membranes and Their Light-Harvesting Antennas

Light-harvesting antennas are pigment-proteins that absorb light energy and transfer it to photosynthetic reaction centers. This chapter starts with a brief non-technical explanation of how antennas harvest light. The antennas of the five divisions of photosynthetic bacteria (including cyanobacteria) are introduced; the antennas are placed in the context of their photosynthetic membranes. The evolutionary origin of chloroplasts by primary and secondary endosymbiosis is explained. A brief description of the various algal groups is followed by a more detailed discussion of the higher plant chloroplast and the roles of the LHC superfamily antennas. Throughout, readers are directed to the relevant chapters in the book where detailed information can be found.