Pigments found in plants and purple bacteria employed to
provide protection from sun damage do more than just that. Researchers from the
University of Toronto and University of Glasgow have found that they also help
to harvest light energy during photosynthesis.
Carotenoids, the same pigments which give orange color to
carrots and red to tomatoes, are often found together in plants with
chlorophyll pigments that harvest solar energy. Their main function is
photoprotection when rays of light from the sun are the most intense. However,
a new study published today in Science shows how they capture blue/green light
and pass the energy on to chlorophylls, which absorb red light.