Photosynthesis Name____James Eldred_______________

HR.__6th____

Light Absorption in Chloroplasts

Objective: Gain and understanding as to what role chloroplasts and pigments
play in photosynthesis.

Directions: Read the article and answer the following questions in complete
sentences.
1. Light from the sun is made of what colors?
Rainbow

2. What is the visible spectrum?

The light visible to the human eye

3. How does light travel through the atmosphere?

The light travels on a straight line

4. What makes the colors of the visible spectrum different from one another?

Each color Is a different wave length

5. When light hits an object what are the three things that can happen?
it can be transmitted, it can be reflected, it can be absorbed

6. When light hits a pigment what happens?

The chlorophyll becomes excited
 7. If a leaf is green in color what color is reflected? What happens to the other colors of
the sun light?
Green is reflected the rest of the colors are absorbed

8. What is chlorophyll? What are the two types of chlorophyll?

Chlorophyll is a pigment that makes plants green.
Chlorophylls “a” and “b”

9. Why are the leaves green?

Because of the chlorophyll

10. What Chlorophyll is involved in photosynthesis?

Chlorophyll A

11. What are the accessory pigments?

Light absorbing compounds

12. How do the accessory pigments help in photosynthesis?

Used to increase access to wavelengths

13. Why are the nonphotosynthetic parts of the plant (fruits and flowers) different colors?
The way their pigment absorbs or reflects the colors

14. Why do leaves change from green to a variety of colors in the fall?
Because they are getting less light throughout the day.

Did you know that a tree's leaves are orange and yellow -- even in summer? Most leaves include the
pigments of all three colors. It's just that the pigment chlorophyll (the pigment that makes the leaves
green) is a much stronger pigment than the others. It covers the yellow (xanthophyll) and orange
(carotene) pigments that are natural to a tree's leaves. But, come fall, a tree's leaves produce less
chlorophyll. Now the other colors can show through. And that they do -- in brilliant explosions of color!
Another pigment (anthocyanin), which produces reds and purples, isn't present all year long in most
green leaves. It only shows up as the nights get cooler.