Register | Sign In


Understanding through Discussion


EvC Forum active members: 64 (9164 total)
4 online now:
Newest Member: ChatGPT
Post Volume: Total: 916,760 Year: 4,017/9,624 Month: 888/974 Week: 215/286 Day: 22/109 Hour: 0/3


EvC Forum ⇒ Science Forums ⇒ Biological Evolution ⇒

Genuine Puzzles In Biology?

Thread ▼ Details

Email This Thread
Newer Topic | Older Topic
  
Author Topic:   Genuine Puzzles In Biology?
Minnemooseus
Member
Posts: 3945
From: Duluth, Minnesota, U.S. (West end of Lake Superior)
Joined: 11-11-2001
Member Rating: 10.0

Normal Thread Display
Message 25 of 153 (563850)
06-07-2010 3:13 AM 		Reply to: Message 8 by New Cat's Eye
05-27-2010 4:45 PM

Why plants are green
Page Not Found - Department of Physics and Astronomy
​
quote:
Plants are green because they have a substance called chlorophyll in them. Understanding why chlorophyll is green requires a little biology, chemistry and physics....
​
It turns out that eons of evolutionary design have matched the absorbance of chlorophyll to the actual color of the sunlight that reaches the leaves. Sunlight consists of primarily blue and red light mixed together, which are exactly the colors that chlorophyll molecules like to absorb. Light is a form of energy, so the chlorophyll is able to harvest the sunlight with little waste.
​
The above sort of seems to say that chlorophyll has evolved. That does not seem right.
​
But regardless - Chlorophyll is important for plant metabolism. Chlorophyll reflects green light. Therefore, plants tend to be green.
​
Moose
This message is a reply to:
 Message 8 by New Cat's Eye, posted 05-27-2010 4:45 PM New Cat's Eye has not replied
Replies to this message:
 Message 26 by Dr Jack, posted 06-07-2010 5:19 AM Minnemooseus has replied
Minnemooseus
Member
Posts: 3945
From: Duluth, Minnesota, U.S. (West end of Lake Superior)
Joined: 11-11-2001
Member Rating: 10.0

Normal Thread Display
Message 29 of 153 (564006)
06-07-2010 6:11 PM 		Reply to: Message 26 by Dr Jack
06-07-2010 5:19 AM

Re: Why plants are green
Mr Jack writes:
​
See here for a spectrum showing incoming light intensity; there's no green gap in it. The 500-600nm range over which chlorophyll fails to absorb light is not matched in the incoming light.
​
Yeah - The my quoted material does seem to be pretty bogus. But the essential point is what I said after the quote:
​
Moose writes:
​
But regardless - Chlorophyll is important for plant metabolism. Chlorophyll reflects green light. Therefore, plants tend to be green.
​
What would you expect to find in a better adapted plant? Maybe darker green leaves?
​
Moose
​
Edited by Minnemooseus, : Add quote attributes.
This message is a reply to:
 Message 26 by Dr Jack, posted 06-07-2010 5:19 AM Dr Jack has replied
Replies to this message:
 Message 30 by Dr Jack, posted 06-08-2010 4:36 AM Minnemooseus has seen this message but not replied
Date format: mm-dd-yyyy
Timezone: ET (US)
  
Newer Topic | Older Topic
Jump to:


Copyright 2001-2023 by EvC Forum, All Rights Reserved

™ Version 4.2
Innovative software from Qwixotic © 2024