Question

Enumerate the type of chlorophyll known as photosynthetic pigments.

Answer 1

Hint: Chlorophyll is the main pigment necessary for the production of food in autotrophs i.e. photosynthesis. Their basic function is the absorption of light energy but in nature, there exist several types of this pigment that absorbs a different wavelength of the light spectrum.

Complete answer:
Chlorophyll is the green pigment found in the leaves and stems of the plants that help in Photosynthesis and gives the leaves their distinguishable green coloration. Therefore these pigments are known as photosynthetic pigments.
These are of 5 types but only 2 of them- Chlorophyll a and b are found in green plants.
Chlorophyll a- is used in oxygenic photosynthesis that absorbs most energy from the wavelength of violet-blue and orange-red light and reflects green-yellow light which gives the specific color to the leaves. This pigment is found in eukaryotic plants, Cyanobacteria, and prochlorophytes.
Chlorophyll b- this is more soluble than Chlorophyll a in polar solvents and responsible for the absorption of blue light. This pigment is found in green plants as well as algae.
Chlorophyll c- this type of chlorophyll is only found in marine algae such as Chromista and dinoflagellates. It has a specific blue-green color and acts as an accessory pigment.
Chlorophyll d- this type of pigment is found in Cyanobacteria and absorbs far-red light just outside the optical range. The organisms containing Chlorophyll d are adapted to moderately deep water where they can use far-red light in Photosynthesis.
Chlorophyll e- this is a rare type of chlorophyll only found in two species of algae that are Tribonema bombycinum and Vaucheria hamata. It mainly reflects green light.

Note: Although there are different types of chlorophyll present in nature, their basic structure and function are the same in all. They possess a fifth ring beyond the four pyrroles like rings. They are vital for Photosynthesis and are found in the thylakoid membranes of chloroplasts in green plants. Their basic function is to absorb light energy and transfer it to certain specified parts for Photosynthesis to occur.