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Question

Question: What kind of plant does not have chlorophyll?...

What kind of plant does not have chlorophyll?

Explanation

Solution

Chlorophyll is a green-coloured pigment found in cyanobacteria, algae, and other plants. It is essential for the photosynthesis process that converts light energy into chemical energy within the products of photosynthesis. Organisms that are able to synthesize organic compounds (carbohydrates) from inorganic compounds (carbon dioxide and water molecules) in the presence of light are known to be photoautotrophs.

Complete answer:
Plants are the major photosynthetic organism on Earth. They contain chlorophyll molecules (chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b) enclosed within the thylakoid membrane of plastids called chloroplasts. These organelles are widely distributed in parenchyma cells of the mesophyll tissue of leaves.
As we know, there are always exceptions in biology, and not all plants are photosynthetic. There are approximately three thousand non-photosynthetic plants or heterotrophs around the world. Heterotrophic plants include parasites (hemiparasites, zooparasites), saprophytes, mutualistic symbionts, epiphytes, and insectivorous plants.
Since these plants lack photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll), they consume food from other organisms, unlike photosynthetic plants, which directly produce their own food. In the case of parasitic plants, they consist of modified root-like structures called haustoria to absorb nutrients and water from the host plants. For example, haustoria or sucking roots in Cusseta (dodder).

Note:
Non-photosynthetic plants that are devoid of chlorophyll must not be confused with chlorosis plants. Chlorosis is due to insufficient chlorophyll content in plants which causes palling or yellowing of green leaves. It can be a symptom of any plant physiological conditions such as plant disease, mineral or nutrient deficiencies, etc.