Study Shows How Plants Tell Time

Scientists from the University of Cambridge Department of Plant Sciences are studying how plants are able to set and maintain their internal clock. Plants and animals have a 24-hour 'body-clock' known as the circadian rhythm. This biological timer allows plants to measure time, an ability vital in biological processes such as flowering, fragrance emission and leaf movement.

This new research has shown that sugars produced during photosynthesis also play a role in circadian rhythms. Researchers studied the effects of these sugars by monitoring seedlings in CO2-free air, to inhibit photosynthesis, and by growing genetically altered plants and monitoring their biology. The production of sugars was found to regulate key genes responsible for the 24 hour rhythm.

According to Dr. Alex Webb, lead researcher at the University of Cambridge, "Our research shows that sugar levels within a plant play a vital role in synchronizing circadian rhythms with its surrounding environment. Inhibiting photosynthesis, for example, slowed the plants internal clock by between 2 and 3 hours."

For more information about this research, read the news release at: http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/food-security/2013/131024-pr-how-plants-tell-the-time.aspx.