Avoidance mechanisms at the scale of the whole plant and the cellular level.

a,b) As sessile organisms, plants orient their leaves at an angle to minimize light interception: for example, the small-stilted mangrove, Rhizophora stylosa, shown here growing along the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. a) Leaves on branches growing in the shade are displayed horizontally to maximize light interception. b) In full sunlight, steeply angled leaves minimize sunlight absorption in these slowly growing evergreen plants subject to salt-water stress. c) Many plant species position their chloroplasts (green ovals) such as to minimize the absorption of excess light. Conversely, during exposure to low light, leaves and/or chloroplasts may be moved to maximize light interception and photosynthetic productivity.