Tropism

Tropism is a biological phenomenon referring to the movement of an organism in response to an environmental stimulus. It is an important characteristic of many living organisms, from low-level forms such as plants to animals and humans, helping them to orient and navigate their environment. The two most common types of tropisms are phototropism, which is the growth of plants towards or away from a source of light, and geotropism, which is the growth of plants towards or away from the gravitational pull of the earth. Tropism is also used in a figurative sense to refer to any kind of strong or preferential reaction to external influences.