Question

Why do photosynthetic organisms contain several types of pigment molecules?

Short answer

There are several photosynthetic organisms containing pigment molecules.

Step-by-step solution

Introduction to photosynthetic pigments

A photosynthetic pigment is a pigment that collects the light required for photosynthesis in chloroplasts or photosynthetic microorganisms.

Photosynthetic pigments found in organisms.

In photosynthetic systems of animals capable of photosynthesis, photosynthetic pigments are the chemicals responsible for absorbing electromagnetic radiation, transmitting the energy of absorbed photons to the reaction centre, and for photochemical conversation.

Multiple pigments absorb various wavelengths of light, allowing the plant to collect as much energy as possible from the sun. Plants with many pigments have distinct colored leaves, allowing them to capture the most amount of energy from the sun.