The Effects of Light on Plants
- Light has a variety of effects on plant growth. Without the sun, plants would not be able to survive, and such light is pivotal to a number of crucial processes that a plant undergoes on a regular basis in order to sustain life. There are four main processes to consider. One is well-known and also crucial to human life, and the other three are less discussed in elementary science texts, but are no less important to the life of plants. These four processes crucial to plant life are photosynthesis, photomorphogenesis, photoperiodism and phototropism.
- Photosynthesis is the process whereby plants take light energy from the sun or another source, convert it into chemical based energy, and then use this energy to survive. The light energy becomes organic molecules, which make up some fundamental structures inherent to each plant. Photosynthesis also plays a part in the ever-important process of helping to sustain human life. Carbon dioxide is pulled from the environment outside of the plant and used as a part of photosynthesis to acquire energy and to run life-sustaining processes. As a byproduct of all this work and of this carbon dioxide collection, oxygen is released back into the environment. This process aids human in two ways. First, it removes harmful (to humans) carbon dioxide from the outside air, and secondly, it creates new oxygen for humans to breathe.
- The second plant process created from light is photomorphogenesis. This is the effect of light intensity on the plant's individual growth. Some plants need a lot of light to sprout from their seeds, while others initially need little or can even find direct light detrimental to growth. Additionally, light during photomorphogenesis can even affect a plant's circadian rhythms. Lack of sufficient light in this process can often also result in plants that are lacking in normal color due to a lack of chlorophyll being produced.
- The third plant process is photoperiodism. This is a process that determines the manner in which plants flower. Plants flower differently depending upon how each day's light and dark periods affect the individual plant. Some plants need a longer period of sun during a day to flower properly, while other plants desire much less.
- The fourth and final plant process from light is phototropism. This determines how and in what direction a plant's individual appendages grow. Plant stems, leaves and more lean in the direction from which sunlight comes.
Source...