Shade Conditions, Ten ways in which Plants Might Adapt to Reduced Light or

Plants are able to adapt to reduced light or shade conditions in numerous ways, including:
1. Producing thinner, more elongated stems, which can also be more flexible. They will be reaching towards the light and with increased flexibility allows them to better orient themselves to capture the maximum amount of limited light.
2. More upright growth to reduce the potential for shading on other leaves and in grasses this also results in a reduction in tillering creating a more open sward.
3. An increase in greenness which can enhance the absorption of light by chlorophyll, with an increased density of chloroplasts within a cell, although some plants become lighter green when exposed to prolonged periods of reduced light levels.
4. An increase in leaf size to allow for a larger area in which to capture available light.
5. Reallocation of resources towards the roots to maintain adequate nutrient and soil water uptake and to maintain physiological processes, such as chlorophyll production, whilst reducing the amounts of resources that goes towards leaves which will anyhow be experiencing slower growth due to the lower light levels.
6. An initial increase in leaf senescence to allow for the production of newer leaves which may more readily adapt to lower light levels.
7. Improving the efficiency of light capture and reduced plant stress through the development of pigments such as anthocyanin or structures such as hairs which might reflect light better towards chloroplasts within cells.
8. Cuticles can become thicker to reduce evapo-transpiration and better protect a plant from stresses caused by low light levels.
9. An increase in water retention, making plants more succulent and more likely to be threatened by pests and diseases.
10. Stomatal size can also increase, increasing CO2 uptake, helping to maintain carbohydrate production from the photosynthesis that does take place.