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Works Cited
Butler, Rhett. "Rainforest Canopy Trees." Rainforests.mongabay.com. Mongabay, 30 July 2012.
Web. 8 June 2016.
This website discussed multiple aspects of trees in the canopy region of rainforests;
thickness, adaptation, methods of reproduction, flowering patterns, relationships with
other organisms in the region with regards to pollination, and plenty of pictures showing
their immense size. While most of this information will only be relevant to my essay as a
method of setting context, there was a section in the beginning that related directly to my
claim. In it, I learned that the lower the leaves on these trees, the darker the color. This is
in order to absorb red wavelengths for photosynthesis, something missed by leaves closer
to the top (Butler). While the presence of ads and links to ads might make this page seem
untrustworthy at first, further investigation supports the credentials of the website. The
about us section shows the chairman (Dr. Brodie Ferguson) to be an anthropologist, and
the advisory board consists of botanists, rainforest ecologists, and conservationists. The
self-declared purpose, to raise interest in and appreciation of nature and wildlife seems
to imply a genuine interest in the provided information, and the site has been updated as
recently as last year. Overall, I believe it to be a credible source, but perhaps one better
suited to a different topic overall. I just so happened to get lucky with the paragraph of
relevant information I located.
Hansen, Ute, Brita Fiedler, and Barbara Rank. "Variation of Pigment Composition and
Antioxidative Systems along the Canopy Light Gradient in a Mixed Beech/oak Forest: A
Comparative Study on Deciduous Tree Species Differing in Shade Tolerance." Trees 16.4
(2002): 354-64. SpringerLink. Web. 9 June 2016.

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I could not access the entire article, because doing so would have cost me over $40, but
the information available to me was useful in firmly connecting both the [wavelength and
photosynthesis] and [rainforest plant development] portions of my essay. It did this by
confirming what I predicted; that the two had a relation (Compared to shade leaves,
leaves of the upper crown layer exhibited higher chlorophyll a to chlorophyll b ratios and
higher contents of photoprotective carotenoids (Hanse,Fiedler, and Rank). SpringerVerlag, the company under which this article was published, was founded in Germany,
and works to provide journals and articles to researchers such as myself, and the paper is
cited with over 20 different sources of research. The data relied was done through
investigation of the relevant region, with help from the University of Gttingen, though I
should mention it was done 14 years ago. I still believe its a credible source because
plants certainly havent evolved significantly enough in that time for the study results to
change, and pigments are basic biology so its unlikely there was a misunderstanding in
the study.

Illumitex. "Wavelength Influence on Plants." Illumitex. BBB, 19 Nov. 2014. Web. 08 June 2016.
This website discussed the effect of different wavelengths of light on plant growth, with a
paragraph to accompany ultraviolet, red, green, blue, and infrared. This website was vital
to my research, because it taught me that blue and red wavelengths are the most important
wavelengths in the process of photosynthesis, encouraging stem growth, flowering, and
seedling growth regulation (Wavelength Influence on Plants). The company under
which this website was made, Illumitex, is an industry-leading manufacturer of precision
LEDs and LED lights, meaning that they have to keep up a certain level of truthfulness
to stay in business, and lending itself to the idea that information taken from this site is

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credible. We can assume that agriculturalists make up their consumer-base from the
existence of this article on their website, and since purposely misleading them would lead
to lack of trust, someone like myself should be able to trust it as well.

Khan, Sal. "Light and Photosynthetic Pigments." Khan Academy. Khan Academy, 2016. Web. 10
June 2016.
This Khan Academy article focused on exactly what its title says it will; light and
photosynthetic pigments. More specifically, it discussed what light energy is, and broke
apart the visible light spectrum from the entire EM spectrum. It then went over the role of
pigments and chlorophylls in photosynthesis, mentioning the absorption spectrum,
chlorophyll a and b, and carotenoids. Finally it summarized the process by which atoms
produce light. This website was useful to me because it gave me content I could use as
context as my essay introduces the topic of plants and light, while also giving me a more
detailed explanation of the inner workings of a plant that help me explain the first portion
of my knowledge question; this being through All photosynthetic plants, algae, and
cyanobacteria contain chlorophyll a, whereas only plants and green algae contain
chlorophyll b (Khan). Khan Academy is run by a full team of scholars, and is even
partnered with NASA, MIT, and other leading institutions. It is entirely non-profit, and
has reached international status. Accordingly, I would highly recommend this source to
any researchers hoping for reliable and diverse information.
What Light Do Plants Need_5. N.p.: Heliospectra, 5 Oct. 2012. Pdf. Print.
This article discusses the relationship between the EM spectrum and photosynthesis,
covering what the EM spectrum is, photosynthetic pigments and light absorption,

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absorption/action spectra, and the role of green light in photosynthesis [(Therefore, plant
leaves do absorb
green light. In this case, about 70% (What Light Do Plants Need 4)] The detailed
explanation light absorption will be helpful to me as I establish context to my
experiments through prior research of what exactly it is Im experimenting with (it would
make little sense to someone who didnt know what photosynthesis is). It also provided
multiple charts and graphs that help to visualize light absorption, as well as a diagram of
the same nature, that I might consider using in my own essay. Heliospectra, the company
under which this article was written, has a mission to develop and sell efficient lighting
systems and since one group that needs special lighting is that which uses greenhouses,
its clear they did legitimate research into this topic (they also advertise intelligently
adapt lighting to the need of plants) which would require adequate knowledge on the
topic). I would recommend this article to anyone looking to experiment with plant
lighting (as I am) or write a research paper in a similar manner.