Invisible wrote:
> The question is... why are leaves green in the first place? Wouldn't 
> they work so much better if they were black??

Leaves are green because water passes green light (to a first approximation).

First plants evolved just below the surface of the water, with purple (red 
and blue) color. I.e., the first plants absorbed the abundant green color 
while reflecting both the infrared and ultraviolet that was dangerous. You 
still see some plants and most photosynthetic anaerobic single-cell 
organisms with this coloring. It's also the stuff in your eyes that lets you 
see better after 10 minutes in the dark.

Then oxygen-creating photosynthesis evolved in bacteria that lived *under* 
the layer of purple algae, which absorbed the purple reflected from that 
algae, and hence looks green.

-- 
   Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
   There's no CD like OCD, there's no CD I knoooow!

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