Chlorophyll: an expensive molecule for plants to make

Hello, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. Chlorophyll, which allows plants to convert sunshine into sugars and also oxygenates our planet, is the basis for life on Earth. What a stunningly complex function! Chemically, it's described as an expensive molecule for plants to make. Part of the process of autumn leaf color is that chlorophyll compounds are broken down, absorbed back into the tree, and sent to the root system for storage over winter. That reveals other chemicals that were there to protect the chlorophyll. These other compounds are the beautiful reds, oranges, yellows, and purples, and they protect the chlorophyll from too much sun, like sunscreens for us. So not only the basis for the food we eat and the air we breathe, but the reason for the magnificence of autumn leaves.