Year: 2013
Type: review
Abstract: Plants compete with neighbouring vegetation for limited resources. In competition for light, plants adjust their architecture to bring the leaves higher in the vegetation where more light is available than in the lower strata. These architectural responses include accelerated elongation of the hypocotyl, internodes and petioles, upward leaf movement (hyponasty), and reduced shoot branching and are collectively referred to as the shade avoidance syndrome. This review discusses various cues that plants use to detect the presence and proximity of neighbouring competitors and respond to with the shade avoidance syndrome. These cues include light quality and quantity signals, mechanical stimulation, and plant-emitted volatile chemicals. We will outline current knowledge about each of these signals individually and discuss their possible interactions. In conclusion, we will make a case for a whole-plant, ecophysiology approach to identify the relative importance of the various neighbour detection cues and their possible interactions in determining plant performance during competition.
Source: Journal of Experimental Botany
DOI: 10.1093/jxb/ert389
Authors: Ronald Pierik, Mieke de Wit
Institutions: Utrecht University, University of Lausanne
Language: English
Topic: Light effects on plants
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Awards: G330287862, G7798231803
OpenAlex ID: W2113618934