Eli5: Do plants really have photoreceptors and can see?
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Biochemist here.
Short answer: colloquially yes, but scientifically no.
We know that plants have a host of gate proteins which can “fire” upon exposure to certain wavelengths and flux of light. This triggers a “cascade” of physiological events in the whole plant. For example, it results in opening or closure of leaves. This is ultimately to optimise either for loss of water through pores at night, or photosynthesis the day.
Watch a hyperlapse movie of a plant somewhere. It’s quite dramatic and fascinating how “alive” and motile the leaves are!
So yes, plants can “sense” light. But the sensing process is not ‘stored’ per se anywhere like in animals and humans with developed neural systems. In plants the processes are largely controlled by phytohormones (Auxins, Gibberellins etc).
Interesting fact: Distant cousins of these gate proteins are also present in almost all life forms one way or another. Human skin is a nice example. We’re sensitive to UV obviously. But unlike plants, we trigger a ‘tanning cascade’ 😉
PS — Other fellow biologists who read this, please don’t hate me for absurdly loose terminologies :V
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