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Water lilies are found on the water surface and algae live below them - Scottish Highers Biology - Question 17 - 2023
Question 17
Water lilies are found on the water surface and algae live below them. Water lilies absorb mostly blue light (400–475 nm) and red light (625–700 nm). The graph show... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Water lilies are found on the water surface and algae live below them - Scottish Highers Biology - Question 17 - 2023
Step 1
To survive below the water lilies, the algae would be expected to have a high concentration of:
Answer
The algae would need to contain pigments that absorb light in the wavelengths utilized by the water lilies. Given that the water lilies absorb mostly blue light (400–475 nm) and red light (625–700 nm), we need to analyze which pigment corresponds to these absorption ranges.
Based on the graph, pigments that have significant absorption in these ranges will be most beneficial for the algae.
From the options presented, the correct choice is:
C) pigment R
This conclusion is drawn from the observation that pigment R has the highest absorption at both blue and red wavelengths, thereby ensuring the algae can photosynthesize effectively in the light conditions available beneath the water lilies.