Seasonal changes in plant life

Annual changes in weather conditions lead to seasonal changes in plant life. Plants respond to changes in environmental factors by transforming biological rhythms. During the year, our planet changes daylight hours, temperature and humidity. For many processes occurring in plants, the duration of the light and temperature period is important. Changes in environmental factors lead to the formation of seasonal and daily rhythms in plants.

Rhythms in plant life

The change of seasons, entailing a change in climatic conditions, leads to seasonal rhythms in plants. At the same time, the appearance changes, the processes of development and growth of plants change, adaptability to new environmental conditions is manifested. Features of the vital activity of plants associated with the seasons are studied by the science of phenology.

The change in the state of the plant during the day is called the circadian rhythm. In addition to the fact that the flowers of plants open in the morning and close in the evening, there are still many processes that are invisible to the eye. Among them are such processes as: cell division, photosynthesis, evaporation of moisture, etc. The frequency of these processes directly depends on the influence of natural conditions.

Plants every year at the beginning of spring go through the following stages of life development:

vegetation
the appearance of buds;
bloom;

Fruiting;
dying off.

The entire course of plant development depends on external factors. The onset of one or another stage and its duration depend to a large extent on temperature.

The value of daylight hours for plants

Plants always respond to changes in the length of day and night. This process is called photoperiodism. The length of daylight on a particular day of the year is always constant, while other factors (humidity, temperature) may change daily. Plants respond to the length of the day with their seasonal changes, sometimes referred to as "biological clocks".

Also, depending on the duration of illumination, the process of growth and development changes. Depending on the reactions to the length of day and night, the following types of plants are distinguished:

Short-day plants that bloom with a day length of up to 12 hours (aster, soybean, rice);
plants of a long day, blooming only with a day length of 12-14 hours (potatoes, beets, dill);
neutral plants, the flowering of which does not depend on the length of daylight hours (tomato, buckwheat).

This means that light is the main regulator of plant growth and development.

Fluctuations in the number of plants

In nature, the population is constantly fluctuating. It may depend on seasonality or cyclicality (periodicity).

Seasonal changes in the number of plant populations are characteristic of many species. In some period, due to drought, the population may decrease, but in the next period, with normal humidity, the number may fully recover. Such fluctuations can occur cyclically over a long period of time.

The response of plants to the change of seasons throughout the year, depending on the length of the day, makes it possible to adapt to changing environmental conditions in order to maintain the population.