Class 11 Biology - Chapter Photosynthesis in Higher Plants NCERT Solutions | Suppose there were plants that had a hig

Welcome to the NCERT Solutions for Class 11th Biology - Chapter Photosynthesis in Higher Plants. This page offers a step-by-step solution to the specific question from Excercise ".$ex_no." , Question 5: suppose there were plants that had a high concentr....
Question 5

Suppose there were plants that had a high concentration of Chlorophyll-b, but lacked chlorophyll-a, would it carry out photosynthesis? Then why do plants have chlorophyll-b and other accessory pigments?

Answer

Chlorophyll-a molecules act as antenna molecules. They get excited by absorbing light and emit electrons during cyclic and non-cyclic photophosphorylations. They form the reaction centres for both photosystems I and II. Chlorophyll-b and other photosynthetic pigments such as carotenoids and xanthophylls act as accessory pigments. Their role is to absorb energy and transfer it to chlorophyll-a. Carotenoids and xanthophylls also protect the chlorophyll molecule from photo-oxidation. Therefore, chlorophyll-a is essential for photosynthesis.

If any plant were to lack chlorophyll-a and contain a high concentration of chlorophyll-b, then this plant would not undergo photosynthesis.

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