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Chlorophyll
There are four different types of chlorophyll found in different types of photosynthetic organisms. Chlorophyll A is found in every plant and algal cell while chlorophyll B is found in all higher, multi-cellular plants, as well as in the more than 7,000 species of green algae. Chlorophyll C is found in brown algae and in diatoms, which are tiny photosynthetic organisms that bind together to form kelp. Chlorophyll D is found only in red algae. Chlorophylls are the molecules that are responsible for the absorption of the majority of the sunlight needed to fuel plant processes. These green pigments absorb every type of light in the color spectrum except for green, which is reflected back off the surface of the leaf -- why we see leaves as green. Chlorophyll A absorbs most of the sunlight, with other types of chlorophyll absorbing the light that the A molecules miss.
Carotenoids
Carotenoids are accessory pigments that capture sunlight but cannot transfer it to other areas of the plant in the same way chlorophyll does. Instead, these accessory pigments absorb the sunlight and transfer it to the chlorophyll, which then packages the sunlight and transfers it in the photosynthetic process. Carotenoids are typically yellow, orange and red, and are found in a variety of leaves. In the autumn months when plants begin to go into their winter sleep mode, chlorophyll is the first of the photosynthetic pigments to die. This death leaves the carotenoids, which are then uncovered to show their colors in autumn's distinctive and colorful foliage.
Fucoxanthin
Fucoxanthin is a carotenoid, but where most types of carotenoids exist in relatively small quantities alongside chlorophyll and perform a limited function, fucoxanthin is one of the major pigments in brown algae. The pigment is brown and responsible for the distinctive brown color of the algae, absorbing the red light in the color spectrum. Most plants that live in the water are on the surface zone, where there is still a considerable amount of sunlight that can penetrate the water. The existence of fucoxanthin allows brown algae to grow in much deeper waters as this pigment is able to capture and process sunlight in water beyond what is usually able to support life.
Phycobilins
Phycobilins are a photosynthetic pigment found only in red and blue-green algae. This pigment absorbs blue light and reflects the red, giving the red algae its distinctive red color -- the redness of the algae is dependent on the amount of phycobilins. Like fucoxanthin, phycobilins can process light deep in the ocean waters. Phycobilins are a major factor in the creation of coral reefs as some of the varieties of red algae form hard shells around themselves through which the phycobilins can still collect sunlight. This algae then deposits itself in the reef formation. Phycobilins have also been crucial in scientific and medical research as tracing agents. When exposed to a bright light, the pigment absorbs some of that light and reflects some as a fluorescent glow, making it an effective way of tracing certain elements and cells tagged with the pigment.