What Does Chlorophyll Symbolize The Beauty Of Autumn

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Fall is the time of the year when days get shorter, weather gets colder, and the leaves change color. For me, this symbolizes the beauty of fall. When the leaves change color, an array of beautiful colors on the trees such as red, orange, yellow, and brown unfold. The leaves on the trees already contain these colorful pigments, but chlorophyll, which is the pigment that makes the leaves green, dominates throughout the spring and summer. (news.nationalgeographic.com/news/pf/87538674.html) Without chlorophyll, photosynthesis could not occur. Photosynthesis takes place in the chloroplasts of the leaf cells. The process of photosynthesis occurs when chlorophyll, a pigment in the chloroplast, absorbs light energy. The light energy, along with …show more content…

In the summer and spring, green chlorophyll is the main pigment that helps the plants absorb light energy and turn it into food. (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/10/1005_041008_fallfoliage.html ) In the summer you see green, but accessory pigments xanthophylls, carotene,and in some trees, anthocyanins are still there. Accessory pigments transfer light energy to chlorophyll. In trees, you do not see the pigments until the fall because they stop making chlorophyll. Like a bear, trees also hibernate in the winter. The cold weather and shorter days spark a chemical reaction in the leaves and this causes the leaf to form a breakable, cork like wall between the stem and the leaf stalk called the abscission layer. This layer stops the nutrients and water from being able to enter the leaf, and the chlorophyll dies. (www.almanac.com/content/fall-foliage-why-do-autumn-leaves-change-color.) Once chlorophyll is no longer the main pigment, xanthophylls and carotenes shine through. Xantho is greek for yellow, so xanthophylls gives plants their yellow pigment, and carotene gives plants their orange pigment. Not only is carotene found in plants, but it is also found in egg yolks and carrots. It is what gives them an orange hue. (http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/botany/leaves-turn-red1.htm) In trees, you do not see the pigments until the fall because they stop making …show more content…

Like xanthophylls and carotene, they are very important in the fall when chlorophyll is depleted from the leaves. Anthocyanins give leaves their red color. Scientists have studied anthocyanins and still do not know the function of them completely. Not all trees have anthocyanins, but some scientists believe that anthocyanins are produced to protect the leaf and keep it on the tree a little longer so the tree can collect sugar and nutrients from the leaf. (news.nationalgeographic.com/news/pf/87538674.html) In addition, scientists have found that cold weather and decreased nutrients cause higher levels of anthocyanins.

I have often wondered why we see an array of colors in the leaves during the fall. It is because certain pigments absorb specific wavelengths of light. Carotenoids absorb mostly blue wavelengths which allow the longer to disperse and create the color yellow on the leaves. Much like carotenoids, anthocyanins, which give leaves a red pigment, absorb blue-green wavelengths. This allows the red wavelengths to disband and makes the red visible to the human eye.

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