How Does Chlorophyll Affect Plant Behavior?
Identification Though plant life may sit near the bottom of the food chain, there would be no food chain without plants. Plants are one of the few living organisms able to manufacture their own food. Through the use of light, water, carbon dioxide and minerals, these organisms not only sustain themselves, but feed the rest of us as well. Chlorophyll is the green pigment that makes plants green. It’s also the miracle substance that allows plants to do what they do. Chlorophyll is a compound called “chelate,” which resides within the leaf cells in a plant. It has a molecular makeup of a central metal ion attached to a large organic molecule comprised of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen. There are actually two different types of chlorophyll, categorized as “a” and “b.” The “a” type plays the main role in converting light to energy, while the “b” type transfers whatever light it absorbs over to the “a” type. Light absorption is the first step in the photosynthesis process. Function Ph
