Plant pigment, light wavelength and photosynthesis rate
Absorption and action spectrum
The absorption spectrum (graph A) shows the wavelengths of light absorbed by the different pigments in a leaf. The action spectrum (graph B) shows how effective the different wavelengths of light are at photosynthesis.
Graph A
Graph B
Having multiple photosynthetic pigments increases the range of wavelengths of light that the plant can absorb and so increases the level of photosynthesis.
Investigating wavelength of light as a limiting factor of photosynthesis
As some wavelengths of light are absorbed more than others, this is a limiting factor for photosynthesis. This can be investigated in the lab.
Watch the videos below to see how these investigations can be carried out.
