PHOTOOXIDATIONS IN PIGMENTED BLEPHARISMA

Abstract

A suspension of Blepharisma undulans in a Cartesian diver shows an increased O2 consumption when illuminated with bright visible light. When the intensity is high enough the animals are killed during a burst in O2 consumption. When first bleached under the influence of a low light intensity, the animals are not injured even by very bright light and the O2 consumption is only slightly increased. A prepn. containing animals killed by heat still shows an increased O2 consumption on illumination with bright light. The increased O2 consumption therefore appears to be due to a photooxidation of the pigment.