Final answer:
Plant leaves absorb red and blue light most effectively for photosynthesis and reflect green light, which is why they appear green. Under blue, green, and orange lights, the plant grown under blue light is predicted to grow the most, followed by the one under orange light, with the one under green light growing the least.
Step-by-step explanation:
When considering the absorption of light by plant leaves, chlorophyll molecules play a crucial role in the process of photosynthesis. Plants typically absorb higher levels of red and blue light, as these wavelengths are most effective for photosynthesis. As such, leaves are not good at absorbing green light, which is why they appear green to our eyes—they reflect green light rather than absorb it.
In regard to the experimental scenario given, for plants grown under different colored lights (blue, green, and orange), assuming they only use chlorophyll a and b for photosynthesis, we would predict the plant grown under blue light (Plant A) to show the most growth as chlorophyll absorbs blue light very efficiently. The next would be the plant grown under orange light, which is close to red in the spectrum (Plant C), followed by the plant grown under green light (Plant B), as this is the color least absorbed by chlorophyll.