In: Biology
Theodor Engelmann's famous experiment on which wavelengths of light drive photosynthesis. What result of Engelmann's experiment indicated to him which wavelength(s) was/were the best driver(s) of photosynthesis?
Theoder Engelmann used oxygen loving or aerophilic bacteria on the Spirogyra algae that he used in the experiment . The algae contained chloroplast, which were long and spiral. He placed the bacteria on the algae and let white light of the sun pass through a prism. This soon produeced light in the visible spectrum. He proposed that oxygen production of the bacteria would be the most where the oxygen absorption would be the most and these where noticed in the red and blue wavelength of the visible light. So he concluded that plants absorbed red and violet or blue wavelengths of light and emitted green. He also concluded that blue and red wavelength of the light spectrum were the best drivers of photosynthesis.