Some plants have adapted to grow in near-darkness deep below the Arctic Ocean. The discovery offers opportunities related to agriculture that were never thought to be possible before.
A team led by German researchers studied microalgae, tiny water-based organisms, by lowering light sensors into the Arctic at a depth of 164 feet.
They tested how low light levels had to be before plant life ceased to exist. They found that plants were able to photosynthesize with very little light.
The microalgae carried out the process at just 0.04 micromoles of photons m^-2/s^-1, the lowest light level ever recorded.
In Europe, the light conditions outside on an average day are between 1,500 and 2,000 micromoles of photons m^-2/s^-1, which is more than 37,000 to 50,000 times the amount of light that Arctic microalgae need to survive.
So, what could this discovery mean for the future? For one, many areas around the world do not receive enough sunlight because they are located far away from the equator. They also experience long winters or constantly deal with cloud cover.
For instance, the U.K. is affected by cloud cover. This year, it has had one of the worst periods of total light hours since the 1900s.
Now that scientists know plants don’t require much light for photosynthesis, they can develop crops that can thrive in places with low light levels. It could help extend growing seasons and boost food production.
Additionally, crops that are engineered to photosynthesize at lower light levels can lead to more sustainable agriculture because there won’t be as much demand for artificial lighting.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.