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Ch. 39 - Plant Responses to Internal and External Signals
Chapter 39, Problem 6

If a long-day plant has a critical night length of 9 hours, which 24-hour cycle would prevent flowering? a. 16 hours light/8 hours dark b. 14 hours light/10 hours dark c. 4 hours light/8 hours dark/4 hours light/8 hours dark d. 8 hours light/8 hours dark/light flash/8 hours dark

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Photoperiodism

Photoperiodism is the physiological reaction of organisms to the length of day or night. In plants, it influences flowering and other developmental processes based on the duration of light and darkness they experience. Long-day plants, like the one in the question, require longer daylight periods to initiate flowering, making the understanding of critical night length essential.
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Critical Night Length

Critical night length refers to the minimum duration of darkness required for a plant to flower. For long-day plants, if the night length exceeds this critical threshold, flowering is inhibited. In this case, the plant has a critical night length of 9 hours, meaning any night longer than this will prevent flowering.
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Light Duration and Flowering Response

The duration of light and darkness in a 24-hour cycle directly affects a plant's flowering response. For long-day plants, cycles with more light than the critical night length promote flowering, while cycles with extended dark periods can inhibit it. Understanding how different light/dark cycles interact with the critical night length is crucial for predicting flowering outcomes.
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