Sunflowers have the ability to move and follow the sun, a behavior known as heliotropism, which is triggered by changes in light and the movement of the sun. Sunflowers will move during the day to face the sun and face down at night or when they are ready for harvest. East-facing sunflowers are happier, healthier, and more productive than those that face other directions, and it is all down to the warmth of the morning Sun. A new study by plant biologists at UC Berkeley and UC Davis shows that young sunflowers grow better when they track the sun’s daily motion from east to west across the sky, using an internal clock to help.
Sunflowers face the rising sun because increased morning warmth attracts more bees and helps the plants reproduce more efficiently. The best-known response is the phototropic response, where proteins called phototropins sense blue light falling unevenly on a seedling and redistribute the plant’s growth hormones. Sunflowers release pollen in the morning, which is also appealing to the bees that are foraging at that time. They face towards the sun to warm themselves up, as insects are cold-blooded and cannot generate their own heat.
Special motor cells at the bases of flower buds shrink or enlarge as they absorb water, moving their faces toward the sun. Sunflowers that droop may be thirsty, have pests, or be ready for harvest. Researchers say that the young plant’s sun-tracking (also called heliotropism) can be explained by circadian rhythms.
📹 Why sunflowers follow the sun
Sunflower behaviors follow a circadian rhythm, which helps the plants anticipate the position of the sun every morning.
📹 Do Sunflowers ALWAYS Face the Sun? How Do They Even Rotate?
Young sunflowers face the sun when it rises in the east and then track its motion in the sky throughout the day till it sets in the west …
Add comment