Question

Statement A: All green plants have chlorophyll pigment.
                   Statement B: Without chlorophyll, photosynthesis cannot take place.
From the above statements, Neelima concluded that the dark red colored croton plants in her garden cannot prepare food on its own. But her teacher said it is not correct. Why?

A. Croton plants are green but do not contain chlorophyll.
B. Croton plants are dark red in color but do not contain chlorophyll.
C. Croton plants have chlorophyll but it is hidden in dark red color.
D. Croton plants do not have chlorophyll but they can prepare their own food.

Answer 1

Hint: Chlorophyll is the green photosynthetic pigment used in the process of photosynthesis. It absorbs the sunlight and emits the electrons that are accepted by the several electron acceptors for the production of ATP.

Complete answer:
The green plants are autotrophic in nature. They can produce their food through the photosynthesis process.
The plant uses sunlight and chlorophyll pigment to prepare food and oxygen from carbon dioxide and water. These are the green color pigments found in the chloroplast of leaves.
The photosynthesis can be defined as “the process by which green plants, algae and some bacteria synthesize their own food and oxygen from inorganic material like carbon dioxide and water in the presence of chlorophyll pigment and sunlight.”
The carbon dioxide air that is required for the preparation of food, enters through small epidermal pores i.e.- stomata into the plant from the atmosphere.
Water is the second raw material of photosynthesis, that enters into plants by root hairs. The root hair absorbs water from the soil which is then transported through the xylem to the rest of the parts like stem, leaves, flowers, etc.
The energy produced by the green plants is utilized by several organisms for growth and other metabolic activities.
The plant leaves have three classes of pigments: chlorophyll, carotenoids, and anthocyanins.
1. Chlorophyll - It absorbs red color in long-wavelength and blue color in short wavelength and reflects green color, due to which leaves appear green in color.
2. Carotenoids - When it absorbs in the blue wavelengths, it produces yellow-orange color.
3. Anthocyanins - It absorbs blue, blue-green, and green light. When the leaves contain a huge amount of anthocyanin pigments, it appears in the red and purple color of croton.
The leaves of the croton plant have chlorophyll, but they appear dark red in color. This is because the higher percentages of other pigments anthocyanins and carotenoid present in them, hides the green color of the chlorophyll. So, the leaves of the croton plants can also make food by the process of photosynthesis.
Without chlorophyll, photosynthesis is not possible as it is the main photosynthetic pigment that can emit the electrons by absorbing sunlight. It is the main reaction centre of photosystems.

So, the correct answer is option C, Croton plants have chlorophyll but it is hidden in dark red color.

Note: The autotrophic are the organisms that synthesize their own food with the help of photosynthesis in the presence of sunlight and chlorophyll molecules.
Chlorophyll is the universal green pigment found in algae, some bacteria, and all green plants.