Why are flowers that bloom at night white or light in colour as compared to flowers that bloom during the day?
Flowers depend on external agents called pollinators, such as insects and birds, for pollination. To attract these pollinators, flowers use features like colour, nectar, and fragrance. Day-blooming flowers are often brightly coloured to easily attract pollinators in daylight.
Flowers that bloom at night are white or light in colour because these lighter shades are more visible in the dark. This adaptation ensures that nocturnal pollinators can easily locate them. Thus, whether brightly coloured or light, the flower's colour serves the vital function of attracting pollinators for successful reproduction.
Explanation
The textbook context explains that day-blooming flowers are often brightly coloured to attract pollinators like insects and birds for pollination. By applying this concept, night-blooming flowers must also attract pollinators, but since they bloom in the dark, they are white or light-coloured because these shades are more visible at night to their specific pollinators.