Gotta Grow 'Em All: How City Life Affects Plant Growth Times in a Big Way 🌱🌺🔥
urban flora bloom prematurely and endure for extended periods due to urbanization factors
Street lights, neon signs, and bright city nights – artificial light you'd think only works for decorating our streets and buildings, right? Well, guess again, because a recent study revealed it could be a secret game-changer for plants! Spring comes sooner, autumn lingers, and city plants are on a whole different growth level than their rural pals.
City Heat and Light Factor ☀️💡Temperatures and artificial city lights heavier on concrete, stones, and those towering buildings – ya know, the usual cityscape – can influence flowering, growth, and the beginning and end of the plant's life cycle. A team of researchers led by Lin Meng of Vanderbilt University wanted to know just how much it played a part.
Europe, We're First, Baby! 🇪🇺
Cities with a substantial time difference between city and country life at plant growth's beginning are mostly found in Southeast Asia, North America, and northwest Europe. The season starts earliest in European cities, followed by Asia and then North America, with North American cities shining the brightest.
Colorful Leaves and Autumn Delays 🍁🕖Speaking of bright, it's artificial light, combined with higher urban temperatures, that's responsible for the average 11-day delay in the leaves changing color and falling in autumn. But here's a twist – in some European cities with higher temperatures, researchers found a shorter growth period due to water scarcity. Seems the summer and early autumn heat can lead to water shortages, causing premature leaf aging and accelerated autumn developments.
Artificial Light Extends Growth, Takes the Lead 🌱🌟The team's calculations showed that both temperature and light play an equal role in the earlier blooming of city plants in spring. However, it's almost solely artificial light that extends autumn's growth period by delaying leaf coloring and shedding. And here's a fun fact: LEDs are taking over – the study points out the switch to LED lighting with its pronounced blue light emissions could change the entire impact of artificial light on plant development.
- Impact of Artificial Light
- Temperatures and Urban Heat Islands
- Role of LED Technologies
[1] Impacts of artificial light on photosynthesis, flowering, and plant growth under urban conditions[2] Impacts of Artificial Light at Night on Plant Growth and Development: A Systematic Review[3] White LEDs for plant growth: a review of photobiological mechanisms[4] LED Grow Lights Explained: How They Can Enhance Your Grow Operations
- The study conducted by Lin Meng of Vanderbilt University reveals that artificial city lights and higher urban temperatures can significantly influence the flowering, growth, and life cycle of plants, extending the autumn growth period by approximately 11 days.
- In Europe, cities exhibit the earliest start of the plant growth season due to a substantial time difference between city and rural life. However, in some European cities with higher temperatures, water scarcity can lead to a shorter growth period, as summer and early autumn heat cause premature leaf aging and accelerated autumn developments.
- The team's findings suggest that both temperature and light contribute equally to the earlier blooming of city plants in spring. Interestingly, it is almost solely artificial light, particularly the switch to LED lighting with its pronounced blue light emissions, that has the potential to significantly alter the impact of artificial light on plant development and growth.
