Schoenherr 1

Research Reflection
There were three main area in which I needed to educate myself in order to be able to properly
analyze the results of any experiment I might do, as well as form theories about my research
question: the electromagnetic spectrum, photosynthetic pigments, and rainforest plant life.
In order to most effectively convey what Ive learned, this reflection paper will be divided into
paragraphs for each new area of study.
The Electromagnetic Spectrum:
Light, an essential component in the growth of just about every plant is given off and
absorbed (at least, partially) in the form of a wave. These waves, like all waves, can be identified
by their wavelengths, or distance between crests/troughs (think of a straight line between two
mountain peaks). The electromagnetic spectrum ranges from waves with extraordinarily small
wavelengths (X-rays, Gamma rays) to those with slightly less extraordinarily small wavelengths
(radio waves, microwaves). Somewhere in the middle is visible light, popularly known though
the colors of a rainbow; red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Red, having the
largest wavelength, also has the lowest energy while violet, with a smaller wavelength, has the
most energy out of all the colors (What Light Do Plants Need). Sunlight, the driving force
behind photosynthesis in nature appears white, but its actually made up of multiple
wavelengths (colors) of light (Khan).
Photosynthetic Pigments
Light coming from the Sun might contain every color, but plants dont use every
wavelength equally. Plant cells all contain molecules known as pigments, which have the ability
to either absorb or reflect light, and different photosynthetic pigments within plants utilize
different wavelengths...to accomplish different growth and development processes

Schoenherr 2

(Wavelength Influence on Plants).On a molecular level, a plants ability to absorb light comes
from the existence of three main pigments; chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and -carotene. All
three show an obvious preference of light wavelength, absorbing much more blues and reds (far
ends of the spectrum) than middle colors such as green, yellow, and orange. Chlorophyll a plays
a unique and critical role in converting light energy to chemical energy (Khan), and is
contained in all photosynthetic plants. Chlorophyll b is less prevalent, appearing most commonly
in algae, and absorbs slightly different wavelengths of light than its counterpart. There are clear
differences in using red, green, and blue lights on plants: blue wavelengths encourage
vegetative growth through strong root growth and intense photosynthesis and are often used as
supplemental light for seedlings (Khan) and red light effects phytochrome reversibility and is
the most important for photosynthesis, flowering and fruiting regulation. (Khan)
Rainforest Plant Life
It turns out that the color of rainforest leaves reflects how accessible light is to them.
With plants in the canopy exposed to far more sunlight than those shrouded in the darkness of the
forest understudy, The leaves...are often a darker blue-green color than the leaves of the upper
canopy in order to absorb the red wavelengths necessary for photosynthesis. (Butler). These red
wavelengths are missed by leaves closer to the sun, and so they typically have a lighter color to
them. In fact, Compared to shade leaves, leaves of the upper crown layer exhibited higher
chlorophyll a to chlorophyll b ratios and higher contents of photoprotective carotenoids
(Hansen, Fiedler, and Rank).