Anthocyanins in vegetative tissues: a proposed unified function in photoprotection

Summary The function of anthocyanins in green, vegetative tissues has always been a contentious issue. Here we evaluate their proposed photoprotective function since recent findings have shown that anthocyanins reduce photoinhibition and photobleaching of chlorophyll under light stress conditions. Anthocyanins generally accumulate in peripheral tissues exposed to high irradiance, although there are some exceptions (e.g. accumulation in abaxial leaf tissues and in obligatory shade plants) and accumulation is usually transient. Anthocyanin accumulation requires light and generally coincides with periods of high excitation pressure and increased potential for photo‐oxidative damage due to an imbalance between…