Diatom phytochromes integrate the underwater light spectrum to sense depth

Aquatic life is strongly structured by the distribution of light, which, besides attenuation in intensity, exhibits a continuous change in the spectrum with depth1. The extent to which these light changes are perceived by phytoplankton through photoreceptors is still inadequately known. We addressed this issue by integrating functional studies of diatom phytochrome (DPH) photoreceptors in model species2 with environmental surveys of their distribution and activity. Here, by developing an in vivo dose–response assay to light spectral variations mediated by DPH, we show that DPH can trigger photoreversible responses across the entire light spectrum, resulting in a change in DPH photoequilibrium with depth. By generating dph mutants in the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana, we also demonstrate that under simulated low-blue-light conditions of ocean depth, DPH regulates photosynthesis acclimation, thus linking optical depth detection with a functional response. The latitudinal distribution of DPH-containing diatoms from permanently stratified regions to seasonally mixed regions suggests an adaptive value of DPH functions in coping with vertical displacements in the water column. By establishing DPH as a detector of optical depth, this study provides a new view of how information embedded in the underwater light field can be exploited by diatoms to modulate their physiology throughout the photic zone.