The most effective wavelength of visible light in photosynthesis is in the region
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Violet
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Blue
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Yellow
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Red
Reveal answer
Fill a bubble to check yourself
D
Correct answer
Explanation
Plants and other oxygenic photosynthetic organisms harvest light energy from the sun to fix carbon dioxide into the food and fiber required to sustain the biosphere. Since plants cannot move, they must cope with regular day-night cycles, seasonal cycles and neighbouring vegetation, all of which influence the intensity, direction and spectral quality of light impinging on their leaves.
To optimize light harvesting under low light conditions and to minimize photo damage when light is too bright, plants must continuously adjust the sensitivity of light harvesting by regulating the components of the photosynthetic apparatus or by altering the architecture of their leaves and stems. The ability to sense the ambient light level is conferred by protein light sensors that perceive different colors of visible light that are most effective in photosynthesis. For plants, red light is the most effective wavelength to drive photosynthesis therefore the most important of these photo sensors, the phytochromes, are most sensitive to this region of the light spectrum. Thus, option D is correct.