Why Do Deciduous Trees Lose Their Leaves In The Fall
Camila Farah
When it is very cold the.
The image above shows the leaves of a birch tree. Warm spring temperatures and rainfall wake deciduous plants from their slumber and they begin to form new leaf buds. As light levels and temperatures drop the flow of auxin to the leaves slows and levels of another hormone ethene rise. Leaves fall because of chemical changes that occur within the tree sap.
These trees are called deciduous trees and they lose their leaves in response to the seasons. A chemical called abscisic acid is produced where the leaf and stem comes together. While evergreen plants in cold climates have thick waxes and resins to protect their leaves from freezing and fracturing deciduous species generally have thin leaves that are susceptible to cold temperatures. First the veins transporting sap into and out of the leaves slowly close down.
As temperatures continue to warm the leaves develop more fully and reach maturity by the time summer arrives. How deciduous trees lose their leaves. The process is controlled by the plant hormone auxin. Deciduous trees produce chemicals mainly ethylene and abscisic acid that basically cut the link between the leaf and the tree s nutrient system.
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Simply trees actively shed their leaves because there s no use for them anymore. Deciduous trees shed their leaves as an active process that evolved to conserve resources and protect the tree from being blown over in the windier winter months. If it didn t do it every year the water in the cells of the. Many types of trees shed their leaves as a strategy to survive harsh weather conditions.In tropical and subtropical forests trees shed their leaves at the onset of the dry season. Since water expands when frozen the tender leaf cells would rupture during the winter making them useless for photosynthesis. Why do deciduous plants lose their leaves in autumn. The life cycle of deciduous plants includes a growing season and a dormant season.
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