In the present study we have investigated the influence of light and anoxia on the energetic state of the aerobic anoxygenic phototroph (AAP) Dinoroseobacter shibae. Respiration, chemiosmotic proton translocation and the adenylate energy charge (AEC) of the cells were measured comparing light versus dark and oxic versus anoxic conditions. Light caused a decrease of the respiration rates of washed cells. This might be a substitution rather than a direct inhibitory effect, because both photosynthesis and respiration contribute to the proton-motive force. As known from other AAPs, light alone did not induce proton translocation if applied to anoxic cell suspensions. However, additions of small oxygen pulses to anoxic cell suspensions caused two times more proton translocation in the light than in the dark. The AEC of the cells was measured by means of a modified luciferin-luciferase method. Growing cells of D. shibae kept an AEC of 0.93, indicating that the adenylate pool was highly phosphorylated. After harvesting and storing the cells under anoxic conditions for 2 h, the AEC dropped to 0.12. However, the cells remained reactive. Upon addition of oxygen, the AEC increased to its original value within 40 s by the formation of about 12 mM of intracellular ATP. There were no differences whether this recovery experiment was carried out in the dark or in the light. We conclude that D. shibae is able to change its energetic state not only in response to the light regime but also during oxic-anoxic transitions. Both responses appear suited to save in situ organic substrates and endogenous electron donors, thus enhancing the role of photosynthetic energy conservation.