Question

Part I – Absorption and Reflection

“Hey Ben, this looks like a nice place to have our lunch.”

“I guess so Abbie, but anywhere would be a good place to have lunch on such a perfect day.” “fte fall colors are just stunning. The trees didn’t turn these colors when we lived in Texas.”

“Not only that,” agreed Ben, “but when we lived in Corpus Christi, Texas, we didn’t have anything that you could call fall or winter. fte trees were green most all year. Rhode Island sure is a different climate than what we had when we were undergraduates in Corpus Christi.”

“Ben, get out the food! I’m hungry! While you do that I’m going to text Cori a picture of this gorgeous orange Sugar Maple.”

“Alright Abbie, but I kind of like those bright red Red Maples over there also. We must be at the peak of fall color now.”

“Just got a text from Cori,” said Abbie. “She said that trees in North Carolina are still green. She asked if we remember when we learned why plants are green when we were in intro bio.”

“Not only do I remember why and the question on the exam, but I also remember when our instructor dressed up as RuBisCO for Halloween! I also remember later, when you and Cori were assistants for the class, that you two dressed up as homologous chromosomes.”

“ftat was fun! We even figured out how to show crossing over in meiosis. I use some of the activities I did for the intro bio class as a graduate TA now,” said Abbie.

1. Why are plants leaves green? Are some flowering plants normally a color other than green? If so, do these plants contain chlorophyll? Do green leaves absorb the maximum amount of light? If not, what color of the leaf would absorb more light?

Answer 1

Why are plants leaves green?

Plant leaves are green because of the presence of a pigment called chlorophyll in the thylakoid membranes of chloroplasts.

Are some flowering plants normally a color other than green? If so, do these plants contain chlorophyll?

Flowering plants can have colors other than green. These plants contain chlorophyll but this green pigment is masked by other pigments like carotenoids (yellow-orange) and anthocyanins (mostly red).

Do green leaves absorb the maximum amount of light? If not, what color of the leaf would absorb more light?

Green leaves don't absorb the maximum amount of light. Amount of light absorption by colors decrease in the order Black > Violet > indigo > blue > green > yellow > orange > red. Therfore, as compared to green, a blue, indigo, violet and black leaf (if possible in nature) would absorb more light.