> Since most of the star's energy is emitted in the infrared ... does this limit the potential of photosynthetic organisms ... ? I'm not any sort of biologist

> Since most of the star's energy is emitted in the infrared ... does this limit the potential of photosynthetic organisms ... ? I'm not any sort of biologist or chemist, so somebody please correct me if I'm wrong, but... If you specifically meant photosynthesis by terran chlorophyll, then yes, I suppose it would be less effective. However, I could imagine photosynthetic life to evolve under those conditions that uses some other compound to capture and convert the energy. Also to consider is the amount of radiation (light, etc.) available on the surface, which can be figured as a formula of the radiation emitted by the sun, distance from the sun to the planet, and attenuation of radiation by the atmosphere. Much of the light (and other energy) emitted by a sun does not reach the surface of a planet with an atmosphere. The particulars are, of course, dependent on the atmospheric composition, but generally I would expect infrared light, with longer wavelengths than visible light, to better penetrate the atmosphere and be more available to life on the surface.