Phototrophs trade growth for defense through graded regulatory states under escalating oxidative stress
Summary Oxygenic phototrophs face a paradox: the reactions powering growth generate oxidative stress, whose damage or costly defense reduces fitness. In Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942, we profiled steady-state growth, photophysiology, and transcription across a dissolved oxygen gradient (0–374% air saturation). Indep...