This is my TALON Talk on how different levels of chlorophyll and other plant pigments affect the coloration of leaves throughout the changes of fall.
Thank you for listening, and I hope you learned something new. Please leave any comments or questions below.
Very interesting presentation Brian! I found it very fascinating and enjoyable to listen to, and I learned a lot about why leaves change colours. Now I’m going to be thinking about this every time the leaves start changing colours in fall. I also like how you explained why some trees are green all year. You mentioned that chlorophyll is a process to produce, and overpowers other colours, but is very important to the plant. My question for you is what significance do the other pigments in leaves have on plants?
Thanks so much, Indah!
That’s a great question! Chlorophyll has a very high capacity to absorb light energy, which is why chlorophyll is recognized as the primary pigment for photosynthesis. The other pigments found in leaves also contribute to the absorption of light in the production of sugar, and the only difference is their capability of absorbing light energy. Chlorophyll and other photosynthetic pigments all carry out the same job, but you can think of chlorophyll as having the lead role.
Hey Brian! Amzing Presentation!
It was extremely clear and easy to follow, and I certainly learned a lot about leaves and why they change colours.
I just wanted to ask, do leaves fall in Autumn because they can’t produce chlorphyl, or is it because of other reasons (ex. weather)?
Thank you so much, Mel!
To answer your question, the reason why trees drop their leaves is all for sustainability during the wintertime. If the ground freezes over, the trees have no way of refilling their water supplies. Leaves sap from the water supplies of trees, and when winter comes around. The water supply will already be very limited, so in order for a tree to conserve water and sustain itself, it has to drop its leaves before winter arrives.
Great Presentation, Brian! You spoke at a good pace, and you made all the information easy to understand!
I was wonder why the trees only use specifically blue and red parts of the spectrum, and leave out green?
Fantastic job on your presentation Brain. I found it to be very informative and was well-paced.
I was just wondering, would the leaf’s shape have any effect on the colouration of the leaf.
Really great job Brian! Your voice was clear and the presentation was very informative. The only wish I have is for the presentation to move automatically, since it’s in a powerpoint format and not a video.
Are there any other plants/living beings that use chlorophyll in the same or different way?