On the geologic time scale, the Earth’s atmosphere changed from reductive to oxidizing after the Great Oxidation E vent, which resulted in the lack of iron in the marine environment and increased bioavailability of copper. On the spatial scale, the bio availability of both metal elements decreases from offshore to pelagic areas. These changes have had a profound effect on the photosyn thesis of algae. In order to adapt to the iron-deficient marine environment, algae have carried out a series of evolutionary and physiolog ical adaptations, especially reflected in the structure and composition of algal photosynthesis. This paper, from both evolutionary and physiological perspectives, reviewed the strategies of algal photosynthesis in response to environmental changes of iron and copper con centrations
