It sounds paradoxical, because the idea behind this hypothesis is that the red pigment is made in autumn leaves to protect chlorophyll, the light-absorbing chemical, from too much light.

这听起来很矛盾，因为这一假设背后的理念是，树叶在秋天产生的红色素是用于保护叶绿素这种吸收光的化学物质，以免它吸收过多的光。