What controls plant movement and growth?We all know that plants grow, but they also move and change and
react in other ways besides simply growing larger. It’s easy to overlook these
changes, however, because "plant time" usually moves much more slowly than
"human time." Time-lapse photography is one way to observe plant movement.
During this process, a stationary camera records plant growth and movement over several
hours or days. When the film is played back at a fast speed, the motion and other changes
become apparent.
We’ve already talked about plants’ basic needs,
and touched on some of the ways they respond to water availability, humidity, and high and
low temperatures—especially how these affect the rates of photosynthesis and
transpiration. We’ve also discussed meristems—those regions of actively dividing
cells. Let’s dive a little further into the subject of plant growth, and take a look
at other ways plants grow and change.
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