Have you ever wondered why most plants need light to survive? Do all plants need sunlight? This article will give a brief overview of how plants use light to survive, and how some plants can live without light of any kind.
As silly as the title sounds, only a few people can tell you if any plant can grow without sunlight.
Multiple studies have been done on this topic and the results show that there are several plants that don’t need the light to survive.
The leaves of plants are like the solar panels of the natural world. They’re able to convert light energy, water, and carbon dioxide into glucose, which is the energy the plant uses to thrive.
Chlorophylls form a group of chemical compounds that accomplish the astonishing feat of a chemical reaction called photosynthesis.
Found in the chloroplasts of plants, chlorophylls are the compounds which are responsible for the green color of algae and the vast majority of plants.
The leaves supply the plant with food through a very complicated network of veins, some of which are invisible to the human eye.
The nutrients from the soil and the sugar the leaves produce are the chemical building blocks needed for proper plant growth.
Although it seems like green leaves are a defining characteristic of every plant, there are a lot of plants that have no chlorophyll at all.
How do chlorophyll-free plants manage to grow? The thing is, these plants, also known as achlorophyllous, steal the energy from other plants. That’s why chlorophyll-free-plants are defined as parasitic plants.
What Is Photosynthesis?
Most plants can’t get the energy they need to survive, reproduce, and grow without sunlight. Plants are types of autotrophs that produce their own food using carbon dioxide, water, light, and other chemicals.
Most plants use energy from the sun or light, gases from the air, and water to produce glucose. The process is called photosynthesis, and algae, plants, and different microorganisms grow by using this process.
Plants absorb light energy from the sun, water from the soil through their roots, and carbon dioxide from the air through little holes in the flowers, stems, branches, leaves, and sometimes roots to complete photosynthesis.
The energy from light starts a chemical reaction which breaks down water molecules and carbon dioxide and rearranges them to produce oxygen gas and glucose.
Chloroplasts are the hardworking organelles present in the cells of green leaves, which break down glucose into energy to fuel the growth, repair, and maintenance of the plant.
The oxygen gas, which the plant produces, returns into the atmosphere through the same tiny holes, which absorbed the carbon dioxide.
How Does the Photosynthetic Process Work?
There are two stages of the photosynthesis process. The light-dependent reaction in the first stage occurs when the sunlight’s photons hit the leaves of the plant, stimulating the activate electrons and light-absorbing pigment chlorophyll.
The first stage also involves dividing water into hydrogen ions and oxygen.
The light-independent reaction in a second stage occurs when the energy from the light reaction is used to turn carbon dioxide into natural glucose.
This process happens through a number of chemical reactions, which start with three ribulose bisphosphate and finish with the molecule responsible for the glucose production in the process.
Plants use glucose in a variety of ways. For instance, they’re able to convert glucose into chemicals essential for the growth of plant cells, including starch or cellulose, which can be kept until the plants require it to be converted back to glucose.
Plants can also break glucose down during normal respiration and release the energy kept in the glucose molecules. Most plants don’t require the sun’s energy for respiration.
How Do Parasitic Plants Grow Without Photosynthesis?
Many parasitic plants suck the energy of the host plants, while others use an underground network of fungi to survive.
Parasitic plants can grow without light, as they’re involved in obligate parasitism. Obligate parasitism occurs when a parasitic plant steals the energy from a host plant.
It can contrast with other parasitic plants, including mistletoe, which can steal nutrients and photosynthesize at the same time.
Plants that have no chlorophyll, or achlorophyllous plants, are known for their unworldly appearance. Their weird looks resemble eerie bunches have gained them nicknames like “wizard’s net” or “ghost plants.”
Some parasitic plants survive in ghostly shades of orange and white with unusual flowers and incredibly tiny leaves.
Because achlorophyllous plants don’t need the sunlight to survive, some of them can just grow above the ground as a small flower.
Parasitic plants tend to lack branches, leaves, and stems. Unlike plants with chlorophylls, parasitic plants look like strange and scary mushrooms or alien invaders.
Examples of parasitic plants are the myco-heterotrophs like Ghost Pipe that connect to underground fungi for fuel, or haustorial parasites like corpse lily and broomrape that get nutrients from host plants.
Stem parasites, such as dodder or Thurber’s stemsucker, suck the nutrients from plants or live within the stems of legumes.
Can the Color of Light Impact Plant Growth?
That’s an interesting question that still attracts a lot of attention from scientists. When it comes to natural light, AKA sunlight, it might not affect plant growth at all. The color of light can affect the way plants grow if it’s artificial lighting.
Artificial blue light, for example, will make plants grow more compact with thicker leaves. Red light ensures that plants have more flowers when they’re in bloom.
The presence of red light can also make plants grow bigger with longer stems. The green light that plants use for photosynthesis ensures green leaves. As a result, the color of light can definitely affect plant growth, but mostly when it’s artificial lighting.
Sunlight is the primary source of energy for about all plants on the planet. It supplies plants with the light energy needed for photosynthesizing. The process involves converting that light energy into glucose that keeps almost every plant alive.
Oxygen is a by-product of photosynthesis and it’s vital for all animals. The majority of plants can grow without light for a short while – in the case of an emergency. However, they won’t be able to survive without all those nutrients the sunlight provides.