Association for Biology Laboratory Education

Diversity of Photosynthetic Pigments
 

Alexander F. Motten

Tested Studies in Laboratory Teaching, 2004, Volume 25

Abstract

The names of algal divisions emphasize the prominence of color in their biology. Using readily available source materials, students extract polar and non-polar photosynthetic pigments from red, brown, and green algae and from cyanobacteria and angiosperms. The non-polar pigments are then quickly and cleanly separated by thin layer chromatography on narrow strips of plastic-backed silica gel with minimal amounts of solvent. The resulting patterns can be used to infer the origins of chloroplasts in eukaryotes and the phylogenetic relationships among the source taxa or to illustrate a wider assortment of accessory pigments than those found in angiosperms alone.

Keywords:  photosynthetic pigments, chromatography, algae, cyanobacteria

University of Nevada, Las Vegas (2003)