How Does Phototropism Occur in Plants?
| Plants bend towards light thanks to a fascinating interplay between light, hormones, and cellular growth. |
| Light Detection: The star of the show is a plant hormone called auxin, concentrated in the tips of stems and leaves. These tips act like tiny light sensors. |
| Unequal Auxin Distribution: When light hits a plant, auxin gets broken down on the illuminated side. This leaves the shaded side with a higher auxin concentration. |
| Elongation Boost: Auxin stimulates cell elongation. So, the cells on the shady side, bathed in more auxin, grow longer and faster than the cells on the bright side. |
| The Big Bend: This unequal growth causes the stem or root (depending on the plant part) to bend towards the light source. The side with longer cells pushes the plant in that direction. |
| In essence, phototropism is a clever way for plants to maximize their exposure to sunlight, which is crucial for photosynthesis, their food-making process. |
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