What do chlorophylls, cartenoids and phycobilins reflect? And what wavelengths of light do they absorb?
Carotenoids generally reflect yellow, orange, or red and absorb blue to blue-green light spectra. Xanthophyll absorbs well at 400-530 nm Beta-carotene absorbs most strongly between 400-500 nm. Fucoxanthin absorbs light primarily in the blue-green to yellow-green that penetrates deeper in water, peaking at around 510-525 nm and again at 450-540 nm. This reflects a yellow brown giving brown algae their color. Phycobilins are not found in leaves except as a phytochrome. They occur in Cyanobacteria (bluegreen algae) and Rhodophyta's (red algae) photosynthetic pathways as accessory pigments a part of the light reaction pigment systems energy donors to the reaction center. Phytochromes respond to far red between 700-800 nm. Phycoerythrin is a phycobilin pigment in rad algae that reflects red light and is therefore responsible for the color of most red algae.
