Chlorophyll does not contain chlorine as the name might suggest; the chloro- portion stems from the Greek chloros, which means yellowish green. The element chlorine derives its name from the same source, being a yellowish-green gas. Vegetation will not appear to animals as it does to us. Although our color perception is the most advanced amongst mammals, humans have less effective color vision than many birds, reptiles, insects and even fish. Humans are trichromats, sensitive to three fundamental wavelengths of visible light.
Our brains interpret color depending on the ratio of red, green and blue light. Some insects are able to see ultraviolet light. Birds are tetrachromatic, able to distinguish four basic wavelengths of light, sometimes ranging into ultraviolet wavelengths, giving them a far more sensitive color perception. It is hard for us to imagine how the world appears to birds, but they will certainly be able to distinguish more hues of green than we do, and so are far more able to distinguish between types of plants.
We can speculate that this is of great benefit when choosing where to feed, take shelter and rear young. Aquatic creatures, from fish to the hyperspectral mantis shrimp which distinguishes up to twelve distinct wavelengths of light are uniquely tuned to the colors of their environment. The pages on animals include more information on the variety of color vision in the animal kingdom. The vivid colors of fall leaves emerge as yellow and red pigments, usually masked by chlorophyll, are revealed by its absence.
Chlorophyll decomposes in bright sunlight, and plants constantly synthesize chlorophyll to replenish it. In the fall, as part of their preparation for winter, deciduous plants stop producing chlorophyll. Our eyes are tuned to distinguish the changing colors of the plants, which provide us with information such as when fruits are ripe and when the seasons are starting to change. The green color of chlorophyll is secondary to its importance in nature as one of the most fundamentally useful chelates.
It channels the energy of sunlight into chemical energy, converting it through the process of photosynthesis. In photosynthesis, chlorophyll absorbs energy to transform carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates and oxygen.
This is the process that converts solar energy to a form that can be utilized by plants, and by the animals that eat them, to form the foundation of the food chain. Photosynthesis is the reaction that takes place between carbon dioxide and water, catalysed by sunlight, to produce glucose and a waste product, oxygen. The chemical equation is as follows:. Glucose can be used immediately to provide energy for metabolism or growth, or stored for use later by being converted to a starch polymer.
The by-product oxygen is released into the air, and breathed in by plants and animals during respiration. Plants perform a vital role in replenishing the oxygen level in the atmosphere. For example, some carotenoids appear red to our eye because they absorb green.
Most of the time, a plant appears green rather than another color because there is so much more chlorophyll compared with the amount of other pigments. You can see some of the other colors when plants stop producing chlorophyll in the fall. Search for:. That particular light wavelength is reflected from the plant, so it appears green.
Plants that use photosynthesis to make their own food are called autotrophs. Animals that eat plants or other animals are called heterotrophs. Because food webs in every type of ecosystem, from terrestrial to marine, begin with photosynthesis, chlorophyll can be considered a foundation for all life on Earth.
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Marine ecosystems contain a diverse array of living organisms and abiotic processes.
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