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Question:

What are the accessory pigments and what are their functions?

If you could explain it to me I would be very happy!

Answer:

Accessory pigments are light-absorbing compounds, found in photosynthetic organisms, that work in conjuction with chlorophyll a. They include other forms of this pigment, such as chlorophyll b in green algal and higher plant antennae, while other algae may contain chlorophyll c or d. In addition, there are many non-chlorophyll accessory pigments, such as carotenoids or phycobiliproteins which also absorb light and transfer that light energy to photosystem chlorophylls. Some of these accessory pigments, particularly the carotenoids, also serve to absorb and dissipate excess light energy, or work as antioxidants.

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