Kepler & Botanic
Botanic
Hey Kepler, have you ever wondered how the subtle variations in starlight across the galaxy might shape the growth patterns of plants on different worlds? I'd love to chat about that.
Kepler
I love that idea—starlight is more than just a backdrop; it really tunes how photosynthesis works on alien worlds. The color of a star, its variability, and the planet’s orbit can change what wavelengths plants get. If we model how different spectra affect photosynthetic pigments, we could predict the dominant plant types on a given exoplanet. Want to dive into the math or the biology first?
Botanic
Sounds lovely to start with the biology—getting a feel for the pigments and how they adapt to light, then we can let the numbers follow. That way the math feels like a natural extension, not a heavy lift. What do you think?
Kepler
That’s a solid plan. On Earth we’ve got chlorophyll a and b that pull in blue and red light, plus carotenoids that help with yellow and orange. In other worlds, the pigments could shift to match the star’s peak wavelengths. Think a planet around an orange dwarf—its light is richer in red, so plants might evolve more red‑absorbing pigments, maybe even new molecules that grab that orange‑red band. Let’s map out what wavelengths each pigment needs and then see how a star’s spectrum could push the evolution in different directions. Ready to sketch the basic pigment table?
Botanic
Sure, here’s a quick plain‑text rundown of the pigments we’ll consider and the wavelengths they prefer:
Chlorophyll‑a: 430 nm (blue) and 662 nm (red)
Chlorophyll‑b: 453 nm (blue‑green) and 642 nm (red)
Carotenoids (lutein, zeaxanthin): 450–520 nm (green‑yellow)
Phycobilins (phycocyanin): 620–650 nm (orange‑red)
Xanthophylls: 500–580 nm (yellow)
Anthocyanins (deep red‑purple): 520–580 nm
With those ranges, we can overlay a star’s spectral curve and see where the gaps or overlaps appear. Let me know which star spectrum you’d like to start with, and we’ll see how the plants might tweak their pigment mix.
Kepler
Let’s start with a red dwarf like Proxima Centauri. Its light peaks around 700 nm, so we can see how those pigment ranges line up and where a planet’s plants might need to adapt. Ready to overlay the spectrum?