I have long thought that plants should be black, too, for this reason. Anyone know why not?
On 20 June 2014 11:40, 'Chris de Morsella' via Everything List < [email protected]> wrote: > Perhaps because the two mechanisms function quite differently and > apparently evolved independently. But I also sometimes wonder why in the > many hundreds of millions of years of time that no species has found a way > to utilize the missing chunk of spectrum. > A perfect plant would have jet black leaves -- and use photons across all > wavelengths of the spectrum. Then there truly would be black forests. > Chris > > > Bacteriorhodopsin - Boundless Open Textbook > <https://www.boundless.com/microbiology/microbial-metabolism/phototrophy/bacteriorhodopsin/> > [image: image] > <https://www.boundless.com/microbiology/microbial-metabolism/phototrophy/bacteriorhodopsin/> > Bacteriorhodopsin - Boundless Open Textbook > <https://www.boundless.com/microbiology/microbial-metabolism/phototrophy/bacteriorhodopsin/> > Bacteriorhodopsin acts a proton pump, generating cellular energy in a > manner independent of chlorophyll. Read more about bacteriorhodopsin in the > Bou... > View on www.boundless.com > <https://www.boundless.com/microbiology/microbial-metabolism/phototrophy/bacteriorhodopsin/> > Preview by Yahoo > > Bacteriorhodopsin acts a proton pump, generating cellular energy in a > manner independent of chlorophyll. > KEY POINTS > > - Bacteriorhodopsin is a proton pump found in Archaea, it takes light > energy and coverts it into chemical energy, ATP, that can be used by the > cell for cellular functions. > - Bacteriorhodopsin forms chains, which contain retinal molecule > <https://www.boundless.com/definition/molecules/> within, it is the > retinal molecule that absorbs a photon from light, it then changes the > confirmation of the nearby Bacteriorhodopsin protein, allowing it to act as > a proton pump. > - While chlorophyll based ATP generation depends on a protein > gradient, like bacteriorhodopsin, but with striking differences, suggesting > that phototrophy evolved in bacteria > <https://www.boundless.com/definition/bacteria/> and archaea > independently of each other. > > [snip] > These [bacteriochlorophylls ] also produce a proton gradient, but in a > quite different and more indirect way involving an electron transfer chain > consisting of several other proteins. Furthermore, chlorophylls are aided > in capturing light energy by other pigments known as "antennas"; these are > not present in bacteriorhodopsin-based systems. Last, chlorophyll-based > phototrophy is coupled to carbon fixation > <https://www.boundless.com/definition/fixation/> (the incorporation of > carbon dioxide into larger organic molecules) and for that reason is > photosynthesis, which is not true for bacteriorhodopsin-based system. > > > ------------------------------ > *From:* meekerdb <[email protected]> > *To:* [email protected] > *Sent:* Thursday, June 19, 2014 10:51 AM > > *Subject:* Re: Solar power's "bright future" [ may be brighter thanks to > us aping the quantum trickery of certain algae (cryptophytes specifically)] > > On 6/18/2014 3:15 PM, 'Chris de Morsella' via Everything List wrote: > > >>But it does illustrate the way evolution can get stuck in a local > optima. And also further evidence that any purported Creator must be > completely incompetent. > > Evolution always must begin with a preexisting platform -- so to speak > -- and builds on top of it (in an evolutionary way). > > > Yes, I'd heard the story about the purple bacteriodopsin that used the > middle part of the visible spectrum. But the implication is that these > bacteria were shading the bacteria or algae that developed chlorophyll. > Which might be true, but they've not been shading them for the last billion > years or so since plants came onto the land. So I don't see it has a local > optimum. There's a big chunk of spectrum right there adjacent to the > spectrum being used. There doesn't seem to be any significant barrier. > > Brent > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Everything List" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Everything List" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. 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