Photomorphogenesis
![A dicot seedling emerging from the ground displays an apical hook (in the hypocotyl in this case), a response to dark conditions](/Images/godic/202502/02/Ipomea_growing1355.jpg")
In developmental biology, photomorphogenesis is light-mediated development, where plant growth patterns respond to the light spectrum. This is a completely separate process from photosynthesis where light is used as a source of energy. Phytochromes, cryptochromes, and phototropins are photochromic sensory receptors that restrict the photomorphogenic effect of light to the UV-A, UV-B, blue, and red portions of the electromagnetic spectrum.