Question

In tropical rainforests, the canopy is thick and shorter plants growing below it receive filtered light. How are they able to carry out photosynthesis?

Answer 1

Hint:Shade-loving plants show physiological adaptations and growth requirements that help them to flourish under stressful conditions such as low-light intensity, aridity, temperature variation, and nutrient limitations.

Complete answer:Tropical rain forests are divided into four different strata or layers. Different strata support the growth and development of different life forms. Each stratum differs in many ways such as temperature, the amount of sunlight received amount of moisture, and different life forms. It has a thick canopy and the shorter plants are known as sciophytes. They are also known as shade-loving plants. They have evolved and can photosynthesize in low-light conditions. They have more photosynthetic units and they photosynthesize using filtered light. These plants follow strategies of optimum use of available sunlight and the conservation of energy. They have thinner leaves and high chlorophyll units per leaf. They also have lens-shaped epidermal cells that help in focusing incoming light into the mesophyll cells. They have a greater allocation of energy. They show distichous phyllotaxis and flower and fruits are inconspicuous in size and color.

Note:The shade-growing plants or sciophytes express plasticity in their primary vegetative growth stages. They are long-lived and exhibit less plasticity as compared to plants that receive more amount of light. These plants cannot tolerate full sunlight i.e. they can be facultative and obligate. Their photosynthetic apparatus shows remarkable adaptability to a wide range of light inputs.