Question

In science fiction stories, plants that live on planets far from the sun are often described as having black foliage, while those that live on planets close to the sun are described as having shiny reflective foliage. If the plants on these planets do photosynthesis similar to terrestrial plants, discuss why these colors would be good adaptive features.

Answer 1

Answer:

See the answer below

Explanation:

The black foliage of the plants that live on planets far from the sun is an adaptive feature to maximize the heat from the sun for their metabolic activities. A certain level of temperature is usually required for optimal metabolic activities and the distance away from the sun means that heat could be a limiting factor. A black color, however, is able to absorb all the available heat in the surrounding. Hence, the black leaf color serves to maximize the heat from the sun for the benefits of the plant.

The shiny reflective foliage of the plants that live on the planets close to the sun can also be viewed as an adaptive feature to minimize the effects of the proximity of the sun. Too much sunlight will cause the tissues of the leaf to heat up beyond the optimal temperature requirement for metabolic activities. A shiny reflective color will reflect more of the rays of light from the sun than it absorbs. Thus, the foliage is prevented from overheating.