Biology Question

Question

Why do plants have two types of chlorophyll instead of just one. How does this benefit them? What would you expect concerning the rate of photosynthesis thesis for a plant that has only one type of chlorophyll.

Answer 1

Light performs work in chloroplasts only if it is absorbed. Chlorophyll a and b absorb a slightly different range on light wavelengths. Assuming the incoming light is white, a plant that had only one type of chlorophyll would extract less energy from the white light of the sun and have a lower relative rate of photosynthesis compared to a plant with two.