Paraheliotropism

Paraheliotropism refers to the phenomenon in which plants orient their leaves parallel to incoming rays of light, usually as a means of minimizing excess light absorption. Excess light absorption can cause a variety of physiological problems for plants, including overheating, dehydration, loss of turgor, photoinhibition, photo-oxidation, and photorespiration, so paraheliotropism can be viewed as an advantageous behavior in high light environments. Not all plants exhibit this behavior, but it has developed in multiple lineages (e.g., both Styrax camporum and Phaseolus vulgaris exhibit paraheliotropic movement).

Paraheliotropism

Paraheliotropism refers to the phenomenon in which plants orient their leaves parallel to incoming rays of light, usually as a means of minimizing excess light absorption. Excess light absorption can cause a variety of physiological problems for plants, including overheating, dehydration, loss of turgor, photoinhibition, photo-oxidation, and photorespiration, so paraheliotropism can be viewed as an advantageous behavior in high light environments. Not all plants exhibit this behavior, but it has developed in multiple lineages (e.g., both Styrax camporum and Phaseolus vulgaris exhibit paraheliotropic movement).