“Why” and “biology” famously do not get along. The best you can usually do is say it’s evolutionarily advantageous because the true answer is usually a neural network the size of life itself. There are plenty of decent reasons that play parts that we can quibble over, though.
In respect to green leaves I have read that it is most likely a peak. They can’t get to a better colour that doesn’t send away lots of energy because they would have to lose the ability to make energy from sunlight to get to a better way of doing it
Plants manage to use about 2% of the sunlight that hits them (the best get up to 6%) . Our rooftop solar does 22% (with the best managing 25%)
“Why” and “biology” famously do not get along. The best you can usually do is say it’s evolutionarily advantageous because the true answer is usually a neural network the size of life itself. There are plenty of decent reasons that play parts that we can quibble over, though.
In respect to green leaves I have read that it is most likely a peak. They can’t get to a better colour that doesn’t send away lots of energy because they would have to lose the ability to make energy from sunlight to get to a better way of doing it
Plants manage to use about 2% of the sunlight that hits them (the best get up to 6%) . Our rooftop solar does 22% (with the best managing 25%)