Photobiology: The Science of Light and Life

This text begins with basic principles and the physics of light and continues with general photobiological research methods, such as generation of light, measurement of light, and action spectroscopy. In an interdisciplinary way, it then treats how organisms tune their pigments and structures to the wavelength components of light, and how light is registered by organisms. Then follow various examples of photobiological phenomena: the design of the compound eye in relation to the properties of light; phototoxicity; the photobiology of the human skin and of vitamin D; photomorphogenesis; photoperiodism; the setting of the biological clock by light; and bioluminescence. A final chapter is devoted to teaching experiments and demonstrations in photobiology.