Do Sunflowers Exchange Energy By Facing One Another?

Sunflowers, like all plants, rely on each other for certain physiological functions, such as ensuring minimal nutrient competition and organizing in a row to maximize photosynthesis. However, sunflowers cannot share energy with each other in place of the sun, as there is no substitute for sunlight when it comes to photosynthesis, the process that turns solar energy into plant energy.

A recent article in Science suggests that young sunflowers’ sun-tracking (also called heliotropism) can be explained by circadian rhythms, the behavioral changes tied to an individual’s circadian rhythms. Sunflowers grown in a dense row naturally formed a near-perfect zigzag pattern, with each plant leaning away from the sun. As Earth rotates and the sun moves across the sky from east to west, sunflowers turn their brilliant yellow faces to follow it. The mechanics behind this process, called heliotropism, is that sunflowers absorb energy from the sun and use it to convert carbon dioxide and light into food.

Sunflowers do not actively face each other to “share their energy” in cloudy weather. Young sunflowers rotate toward sunlight, but they do not turn inwards to face each other. On cloudy days, immature sunflowers still track the sun’s path whether it is shining through a cloud cover or not. They do not turn towards each other. Sunflowers face the sun, but when it’s cloudy and grey, they face each other and share their energy.

In conclusion, sunflowers are regulated by circadian rhythms that orient them toward sunlight, and they do not actively face each other to “share their energy” in cloudy weather. Instead, they turn to each other to share their energy until the next sunny day.