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Glite Dictionary
🟥 A red pigment 💡 A fluorescent dye
phycoerythrin

phycoerythrin

1 9.9
A red protein in some seaweeds that helps them use light to make food
  • noun
  • Specialized
: ficocianina
  • The bright red color of some seaweeds is due to the presence of phycoerythrin.

Examples

  • Researchers are studying how phycoerythrin helps red algae absorb light at different ocean depths.

  • The extraction of phycoerythrin from algae is important for scientific and industrial applications.

  • The phycoerythrin in red algae helps capture light for photosynthesis.

  • Many researchers study phycoerythrins for their unique properties.

  • Red algae contain phycoerythrin, which gives them their distinctive reddish color and aids in photosynthesis.

  • The pigment phycoerythrin helps red algae capture light energy effectively for their growth.

  • In specific red algae, phycoerythrin can dominate over other pigments, resulting in a vibrant red hue.

Synonyms

phycobilin
vsphycoerythrin
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A colored substance in some algae and blue-green bacteria that helps them use light to make food

is a specific red protein pigment rather than a broad pigment class
phycocyanin
vsphycoerythrin
  • Specialized
9.9

A blue substance in some algae that helps them make food from light

is a red pigment rather than a blue pigment-protein complex

Surface Forms

phycoerythrin singular
phycoerythrins plural

Morphology

phycoerythrin = phyco + erythrin

A specialized scientific compound built from Greek combining forms (phyco- 'algae' + erythrin 'red protein') that will not be transparently understood by an average B1 learner.

Etymology

Phycoerythrin breaks into the parts phyco- meaning 'seaweed', erythro- meaning 'red', and the ending -in used for proteins (as in insulin). So phycoerythrin is literally a 'red protein from seaweed', which fits its role helping red algae capture light for photosynthesis.