ELI5. How do trees stay alive during the winter when it’s really cold and all their leaves fall off
In: Biology
The leaves falling off is a defence strategy against the cold, it suck all the nutrients out of the leaves, hence why they change colour and shrivel up. The thin leaves and large surface area make them very vulnerable to the cold and losing water, the trunk and roots a very resistant to the cold and lose hardly any water and since they withdrew all the nutrients they can make new leaves once the winter is over. https://youtu.be/HJ9MMMsfNig
When a trees leaves fall off, it is essentially entering a state of hibernation. It’s metabolic processes slow to nearly a standstill, and it uses stores of sugars (sap) as an energy source until warmer weather returns.
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