Research Topic · Peer-Reviewed

Chlorophyll

Chlorophyll is the green pigment responsible for capturing light energy in photosynthesis, found in plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. It exists in several related forms, most importantly chlorophyll a, the principal pigment directly involved in converting light energy into chemical energy, and chlorophyll b, an acce…

Curated from this journal's research 📚 12 peer-reviewed articles cited Cited 397× across the literature 🔖 ISSN 2637-6075

Overview

Chlorophyll is the green pigment responsible for capturing light energy in photosynthesis, found in plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. It exists in several related forms, most importantly chlorophyll a, the principal pigment directly involved in converting light energy into chemical energy, and chlorophyll b, an accessory pigment that broadens the range of wavelengths harvested. Structurally, chlorophyll consists of a magnesium-containing porphyrin ring that absorbs light strongly in the blue and red regions of the spectrum while reflecting green, giving photosynthetic tissues their characteristic color. Embedded in the thylakoid membranes of chloroplasts, or in the membranes of cyanobacteria, chlorophyll molecules are organized into light-harvesting complexes and reaction centers. There they drive the light reactions of photosynthesis, absorbing photons, exciting electrons, and feeding the photosynthetic electron transport chain that ultimately generates the energy carriers used to fix carbon. Because chlorophyll content reflects photosynthetic capacity, it is widely used as an indicator of plant vigor, biomass, and physiological stress. Research in this area includes the cultivation of chlorophyll-bearing algae and microalgae and the factors governing their yield, the photosynthetic pigments of cyanobacteria, and the effects of reduced-light environments, such as those experienced by shaded turfgrass, on pigment levels and plant performance, linking chlorophyll directly to productivity and environmental response.

Research published in this journal

12 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.

How this research is being cited

The 12 articles above have been cited 397 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Nov 2026.

A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Chlorophyll, linking to each citing work.

Editorial oversight

Curated from peer-reviewed research published in Journal of Plant and Animal Ecology (ISSN 2637-6075).

Journal editorial board
Dimitris Zianis · Greece Jasmin Mantilla Contreras · Germany Narcisa Vrinceanu · Romania

This page summarises published research for orientation; it is not medical or professional advice.