Final answer:
Plants use hormones and enzymes to respond to changes in day length. In locations with shorter daylight hours, these molecules will alter energy availability, reset the plant biological clock, and modify based on soil composition changes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Plants respond to changes in day length (photoperiod) by using various hormones and enzymes. In locations with shorter daylight hours, these molecules will alter the amount of energy available to the plant, reset the plant biological clock, and modify based on soil composition changes.
For example, when the days start to get shorter in the fall, plants sense the decrease in sunlight and trigger events like changing leaf colors and falling.
Additionally, many flowering plants use the length of darkness as a signal to flower, with long-day plants flowering when the daylight exceeds their necessary photoperiod and short-day plants flowering when the day length is shorter than their necessary photoperiod.