[TML] Alien ecologies

[Knapp]

On Fri, Aug 29, 2008 at 9:27 AM, Knapp <magick.crow at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Fri, Aug 29, 2008 at 8:14 AM, Jerry W Barrington
> <jerry.barrington at gmail.com> wrote:
>> On 8/29/08 12:50 AM, "Knapp" <magick.crow at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> For light to get to the chlorophyll it must go through the leave. What
>>> and how much does this filter out of what gets to the chlorophyll? If
>>> it is significant how does this effect what the chlorophyll is tuned
>>> to?
>>
>> Leaves are extremely thin for exactly this reason.  It minimizes the
>> filtering by non-chlorophyll parts.  Considering that most of visible light
>> makes it thru miles of atmosphere, I suspect the sub-millimeter thickness of
>> most leaves is trivial.

Also, leaves are not thin for that reason. For example Cactus,
Lithops, Jade plants, (ya, all high light level plants BUT orchids,
Epiphylllim Both have thick leaves and live in low light. I think
leaves being thin is more related to structural needs concerning
support. On the other side the chlorophyll is often near the surface
but the flesh could still be blocking some wavelengths. Is there some
data out there about that? It is not my field.

http://www.cssnz.org/lithops.php

-- 
Douglas E Knapp

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