ESP/ENG: El color amarillo en las plantas /Yellow color in plants

ENGLISH

What is the reason for the yellow color in plants?

In plants, the colors we observe are due to the presence or predominance of compounds produced by secondary metabolism, called pigments. Chlorophyll, the green pigment, predominates in leaves because its main function is photosynthesis. But this does not mean that other pigments are not present, only that they are in smaller quantities. An example of this is the variegated leaves, where you can see the presence of two or more pigments that give it its characteristic appearance.

The yellow or orange color is produced by the presence of a pigment called carotene or carotenoids, which have different functions in plants.

Yellow color attracts insects

This is the reason why the color yellow is so common in flowers, because the insects that pollinate them are attracted to this color. And not only insects but also birds and mammals. Not all flowers attract by fragrance, but also by shape and colors. Bright colors are a survival mechanism of the species and yellow is one of the most attractive colors.

It is as if the yellow color is telling the pollinators, here is the nectar you want and in your legs you take the pollen and disperse it. It is a mutual aid

In an evolution of millions of years of adaptation of all living beings, there is a balance in which the survival of one species depends on the other and vice versa. The color is a signal that guides pollinators not only to the flowers, but directly to the yellow stamens, where the male gametes of the species are found in the pollen grains, which when united with the female gametes in the pistil of the flower, in the ovary, will ensure the reproduction , through seeds.