Name: Daniel L.
Status: student
Age: 12
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: 1999-2001
Question:
Why are some leaves greener than other ones?
Replies:
The colors of the leaves have to do with the amount and kinds of pigments in
the leaves. Most plants have more than one pigment present, not just
chlorophyll. The colors you see in leaves in the fall are pigments that are
still present in the leaf after the plant stops producing chlorophyll for the
season.
van hoeck
Related to the amount of chlorophyll in the leaves needed for photosynthesis
http://www.cwu.edu/~verheys/bot461/Photosynthesis/Photosyn.basics.html
Anthony R. Brach, Ph.D.
Leaves are green because of the amount of chlorophyll(s) in the leaf.
There are three types of chlorophyll depending upon the type of plant/algae.
The chlorophyll absorbs sunlight which provides the energy for
photosynthesis that converts CO2 into the plant cellulose and gives off
oxygen, O2, as an end product.
In general, plants which grow in shady conditions require more chlorophyll
to provide the energy for photosynthesis and appear a darker shade of green
than plants that grow in direct sunlight. However, this is an
oversimplification because there are overlaps and exceptions because the
botany of plants is far more complex than I have stated.
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