Why do plants possess accessory pigments

Representations of the Transfer of Energy by Antenna Pigments. Brent Cornell. Cell Introduction 2. Cell Structure 3. Membrane Structure 4. Membrane Transport 5. Origin of Cells 6. Cell Division 2: Molecular Biology 1. Metabolic Molecules 2. Water 3. Protein 5. Enzymes 6. Cell Respiration 9. To account for such a loss, other accessory pigments are present, like:- carotenoids, fucoxanthin etc. Chlorophyll is the main pigment so why do plants have accessory pigments? Sarthak Mahajan.

Feb 8, A plant has multiple pigments present in leaves and other photosynthesizing parts if present. Antenna pigments absorb radiant energy , somewhat like solar panels on a house. Antenna pigments pump photons into reaction centers as part of the photosynthetic process. Photons excite an electron in the cell that is then handed off to a nearby acceptor molecule and ultimately used in making ATP molecules. Mary Dowd studied biology in college where she worked as a lab assistant and tutored grateful students who didn't share her love of science.

Her work history includes working as a naturalist in Minnesota and Wisconsin and presenting interactive science programs to groups of all ages. She enjoys writing online articles sharing information about science and education.

Currently, Dr. Dowd is a dean of students at a mid-sized university. Chlorophyll b transmits green light and mainly absorbs blue and red light. Captured sun energy is handed over to chlorophyll a, which is a smaller but more plentiful molecule in the chloroplast. Carotenoids reflect orange, yellow and red light waves.

In a leaf, carotenoid pigments cluster next to chlorophyll a molecules to efficiently hand off absorbed photons. Geological periods is a study guide that cites the different geological periods on Earth's timeline. Each has a brief ov.. Cell respiration is the process of creating ATP. It is "respiration" because it utilizes oxygen. Know the different stag.. Skip to content Main Navigation Search. Dictionary Articles Tutorials Biology Forum.