Photosynthetic Pigments Photosynthetic Pigments Pigments are colorful compounds.
Pigments are chemical compounds which reflect only certain wavelengths of visible light.
Flowers, corals, and even animal skin contain pigments which give them their colors. More important than their reflection of light is the ability of pigments to absorb certain wavelengths. In plants , algae, and cyanobacteria , pigments are the means by which the energy of sunlight is captured for photosynthesis. However, since each pigment reacts with only a narrow range of the spectrum, there is usually a need to produce several kinds of pigments, each of a different color, to capture more of the sun's energy. There are three basic classes of pigments.