Plant color adaptation to solar radiation: A study of qualitative and quantitative characteristics

Abstract

This paper investigated latitudinal and seasonal variations in the qualitative characteristics of solar radiation (spectral composition, position of the maximum and short-wave boundary) in the ultraviolet and visible regions. It has been established that, depending on the latitude and season, the peaks λ=415 nm, λ=480 nm, λ=500-505 nm, λ=525-535 nm, λ=575-590 nm, λ=610-700 nm, λ=722.5 nm, λ=735 nm, λ=740 nm, λ=760 nm and λ=765 nm may appear. Coloring surfaces variants whose absorption spectrum corresponds to these peaks are considered. It has been suggested that the coloration of the corolla in flowering plants is the result of adaptation to the solar spectrum maximum and may determine convergent seasonal and latitudinal coloration in species of flowering plants.