Fig. 2

Properties of the light-limited chemostat. a The maximal effective growth rate \(\hat{\mu }\) as a function of the average light intensity. The shaded area indicates sub-optimal proteome allocation strategies. The average light intensity \(\hat{I}\) is bound from above by the (a function of the) incident light intensity \(I_0\). The limits for three different incident light intensities are shown. A steady state is attained if the effective growth rate \(\hat{\mu }\) equals the dilution rate. b The maximal effective growth rate \(\hat{\mu }\) as a function of the population density for three different incident light intensities \(I_0\). Higher incident light intensities result in a higher steady-state population density for an identical dilution rate D. For certain dilution rates, bistability emerges. c The cellular light attenuation coefficient \(\alpha\) as a function of the average light intensity \(\hat{I}\). Parsimonious allocation results in an acclimation of cells to different light intensities. d The culture productivity \(P_E = \hat{\mu } \cdot \varrho\) as a function of the population density for three incident light intensities \(I_0\) . At steady-state, the effective growth rate equals the dilution rate, hence \(P_E = D \cdot \varrho\). Higher incident light intensities result in a higher steady-state productivity