photophilousadj.
/fəʊˈtɒfᵻləs/, U.S. /ˌfoʊˈtɑfələs/ Biology.
= photophilic adj.
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the world > life > biology > biological processes > movement > movement in response to stimuli > [adjective] > response to light
phototactic1882
phototropic1883
photophilous1890
photopathic1897
photophil1897
heliotactic1898
photokinetic1900
photophilic1900
1890 Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc. 28 150 Those peripheral cells..would tend to turn the anterior pole..towards the light. This would give the light an opportunity to maintain the specialization of the anterior pole as the photophilous one, and thus intensify its phototaxic tendencies.
1916 Jrnl. Ecol. 4 114 As the shade cast by the growing stools becomes more and more pronounced, the area occupied by the photophilous species gets gradually restricted.
1967 M. E. Hale Biol. Lichens vii. 87 The photophilous (light-loving) characteristics of most lichens.
1997 Jrnl. Biogeogr. 24 341/1 Removal of some trees from an evergreen forest..lowers humidity levels favouring photophilous foliose invasive species.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1890