Is There Chlorophyll in Elodea?

Elodea Basics

• Elodea is a perennial plant that reaches several inches in height with narrow, busy stalks. It is often dark to light green, depending on the amount of chlorophyll. The plants live their entire lives underwater and provide food and shelter for various fish, insects and aquatic mammals. They produce small, waxy white flowers that may float on the surface.

Roll of Chlorophyll

• Elodea uses chlorophyll to undergo photosynthesis, in which light is turned into sugars that the plant uses as energy. Chlorophyll is a light-absorbing pigment. It absorbs reds and blues very well, but reflects greens, which is why plants with chlorophyll often appear green. Chlorophyll is also found in other photosynthetic organisms like algae and cyanobacteria.

Light and Elodea

• Elodea needs a significant amount of light to undergo photosynthesis. It is often kept in home aquariums as an ornamental plant. Any aquariums inhabited by elodea must have full spectrum fluorescent lighting to keep the plant healthy, as it will die without light to produce energy. In the wild, the plant will be found near shorelines, where light is abundant, and not at great depths, where light may be scarce.

Plants Without Chlorphyll

• Few plants survive without chlorophyll. Parasitic plants like dodder and broomrapes use specialized roots that intercept a green plant's root system, from which they absorb nutrients. Lichens are actually a symbiote, as they exist as a combination of algae and fungi, which feed off organic matter. Indian pipe plants, also known as corpse plants, are white and feed off decaying organic matter in the soil.