Why do plants grow sometimes in circular patterns?
Plants, like humans, have certain requirements for growth. Plants go through mitosis, otherwise known as cell division, and require nutrients like water, carbon dioxide, and sunlight. If you were to limit any of these nutrients for a plant, it would have difficulties growing correctly.
We know water and carbon dioxide are important, but why is sunlight important as well? Sunlight provides convertible energy to plants. In fact, Sunlight can cause plants to grow in a strange way. This phenomenon is called phototropism, which allows plants to grow towards wherever light shines. That is why you sometimes see plants lean towards a certain direction or bend.
In this lab, you will experiment to determine if plants follow light, and discover the reason why this process occurs.