Question

Choose the correct statement about the accessory pigments found in plants.

• A. Accessory pigments do not have the ability of absorbing light.
• B. Accessory pigments of plants includes chlorophyll a, caretenoids and xanthophylls.
• C. Accessory pigments prevent the photo-oxidation of chlorophyll a.
• D. The rate of photosynthesis performed by the accessory pigments is negligible.

Answer 1

Answer: (C)

Most of the photosynthesis takes place in the blue and red regions of the spectrum; some photosynthesis does take place at the other wavelengths of the visible spectrum. Though chlorophyll is the major pigment responsible for trapping light, other thylakoid pigments like chlorophyll b, xanthophylls and carotenoids, which are called accessory pigments, also absorb light and transfer the energy to chlorophyll a. Indeed, they not only enable a wider range of wavelength of incoming light to be utilised for photosyntesis but also protect chlorophyll a from photo-oxidation.