What colour leaf would absorb most energy from the light?

Question

What might be the disadvantage of this colour to a leaf?

This question has really got me, argh! Any ideas?

Answer 1

green

Answer 2

Black is best for absorbing heat and light energy, but the chlorophyl in plants dyes them green. I like them green.

Answer 3

Black.

But it would absorb more heat than it could handle. It wouldn't be useful energy unless there were biochemicals capable of using this energy; Chlorophyll can do this, but only absorbs a limited range of wavelengths, hence the reflected appearance of green.

Answer 4

Leaves are green because it is every other colour in the spectrum that is absorbed by the chlorophyll. These other colours are used to produce sugars by photosynthesis, while the green light that is not needed is reflected back.

Black does absorb the most energy (because it absorbs all colours of light) but I'm not sure if that would be useful to a leaf; I don't know if green light is actually used for photosynthesis at all... So I'd be tempted to say green, but then again that's not a disadvantage...

Sorry but that's where my knowledge reaches its limit!

Answer 5

Being the most abundent lifeform on the planet have you noticed a characteristic of plants, that the majority are green, nature always find the most efficient way.

Green seems to be the best colour.

Answer 6

a green leave as if it is green it is full of chloroplast witch contains chlorophyll witch absorbs light "photosynthesis"

Answer 7

People are right that black absorbs most energy, but that chlorophyll is green. There are plants though with leaves that are pretty dark in colour, so the question then arises, "if it is possible for plants to make their leaves darker and thereby absorb more heat energy, why don't they all do so?"

I'm no expert, but I would guess that it is because it is not the energy absorbtion ability of leaves that is normally the limiting factor on plant growth. More likely it is the ability to extract water from the ground, or to find and absorb nutrients from the soil etc.  If a plant's leaves are more than sufficient for purpose there would be no advantage to a plant in changing them.

Answer 8

greeen obv. =) x

Answer 9

Green contains Clorophyl which allows photosynthesis, which creats the energy.  

Black absorbs the most light(thats why on a sunny day you shouldnt wear black) because it does not reflect any of the colors on the spectrum.  White reflects all the colors, red reflects red, and that is what you see, but Black absorbs the most light, but it does not turn it into energy