fotoperiodile

Fotoperiodile is a term used in chronobiology and phenology to describe the set of biological responses that are driven by photoperiod, the length of the daily light-dark cycle.

The concept applies to plants and animals; in plants, it influences flowering time, dormancy, and budding; in animals, it affects reproductive cycles, migration, and behavior.

Light is detected by photoreceptors such as phytochromes and cryptochromes in plants and ipRGCs in animals; these signals interact with circadian clocks and hormonal pathways to regulate gene expression and physiology.

Understanding fotoperiodile helps in agriculture, where manipulating day length can control flowering; in ecology, it helps predict responses to climate change.

The term derives from fotoperiodo, the Italian word for photoperiod, plus the -ile suffix forming a noun indicating a feature or phenomenon.