Photosynthetic pigments
Chloroplasts contain chlorophyll for photosynthesis. The pigment
absorbs blue and red light, but not green light. This is why chlorophyll
appears green in colour.
Chloroplasts also contain other pigments such as carotenoids (JÅÚ½³¯À).
Carotenoids may be yellow, orange, red or brown in colour. They
absorb blue light. In leaves, the colour of the carotenoids are
usually masked by the chlorophyll. In autumn, as the amount of chlorophyll
in the leaf decreases, the carotenoids become visible and produce
the yellow and red leaves.
In autumn, the colour of carotenoids shows up in leaves
Pitcher plants
Pitcher plants are meat-eating plants. They have tube-shaped leaves
for collecting rainwater in which small insects are drown. They
secrete enzymes to digest the trapped insects. Like other green
plants, pitcher plants also make their own food by photosynthesis.
Since pitcher plants live in places where nitrogen is scarce, they
catch insects as an extra nitrogen source.
Pitcher plants
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