Plant Growth Strategies in Light and Dark Environments

[billdock]

Can someone please describe the different growth strategies that plants use in dark and light, and explain why these are important at different stages of growth in natural environments.

 

[AlexB2010]

I’m not understand exactly your question, are you referring to plants that grow only in dark environments?
The light on a forest isn’t the same; near the soil the incidence of blue light is bigger, in the top, yellow and red. A big tree once young, have a different type of Chlorophyll more able to use the blue light.

 

[billdock]

What i ment was. The whole incident of plants growing say in a dark cupboard or a cave, where they receive little to no light at all while growing.

 

[AlexB2010]

What i ment was. The whole incident of plants growing say in a dark cupboard or a cave, where they receive little to no light at all while growing.

Plants really need light, in total darkness a seed could survive of their reserves, but when energy is gone they will die. In absence of light plant will estiolate, means that the hormones will prefer growing in length. That’s a normal behavior to a seed growing inside dense foliage in the soil of forest to reach light above.

 

[Ouabache]

What i ment was. The whole incident of plants growing say in a dark cupboard or a cave, where they receive little to no light at all while growing.

Plants require light to enable growth. As Alex mentions, the stems will elongate between their nodes (etoliate) in response to low/no light condition and leaves will become blanched. Sometimes this is done on purpose, as in tying the top leaves over the blossom of cauliflower to obtain a blanched (white) vegetable. Today there are self-blanching varieties that no longer require this labor intensive step.
A related organism (fungi) can grow in the dark. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmhKqaobi3Q" have been commercially grown in caves.