Question

Which of the following is responsible for the red, orange, and yellow color of leaves?
A.Carotenoids
B.ATP
C.Leaf decay
D.Chlorophyll
E.Overabundance of water

Answer 1

In the given question we are asked about the pigment which produces red, orange and yellow color of leaves. We will check the color formed by each of the given pigments or conditions.

Complete step by step solution: The first option given is carotenoid. Carotenoid is responsible for red, orange and yellow color in leaves. Carotenoids are present with the chlorophyll. So this may be the correct answer but we will also check the other options.
The second option we have is ATP. ATP stands for Adenosine TriPhosphate. This is the energy currency of the cell which means energy is stored in this form. But ATP does not produce any specific color to the leaves. So this will not be the answer.
The third option is leaf decay. Leaf decay may occur due to many factors. The most important is loss of water. When there is excessive loss of water due to transpiration the leaves wilts. This leaf falls off and decay occurs. Another factor is that the leaves absorb carbon dioxide and convert them into organic compounds and fall off. Then in the soil these compounds are again converted to carbon dioxide and acted upon by microbes. When the leaf decays due to lack of chlorophyll the leaf turns yellow. But other colors mentioned in the question are not shown. So this will not be the answer.
The fourth option is chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is a very important pigment for photosynthesis. It makes the leaf green in color. So this will not be the correct answer. In summer chlorophyll in the leaves gets reduced so carotenoid produces red, orange and yellow color.
The fifth option is overabundance of water. If there is excess water in the leaves of the plant then the excess water is lost to the atmosphere by transpiration. So this is also not the correct answer.

So the correct option is A, Carotenoid.

Note: In this question we found the colors of the leaf under various circumstances and got the correct answer. For solving this question the colors should be known.