Contact: Gina Kirchweger
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Salk Institute

Life in the Shade

Caption: Plants can tell the difference between the shade of an inanimate object and the shade of another plant. When a plant detects competition from neighboring plants, it initiates a set of responses, called collectively the shade avoidance syndrome, that alter its growth and physiology. A rapid and transient increase of newly synthesized auxin via a newly discovered auxin synthesis pathway allows plants to elongate and grow toward the sun.

Credit: Image: Courtesy of Dr. Jean-Luc Ferrer, Salk Institute for Biological Studies

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Related news release: A place in the sun