Hey everyone,
I was wondering if anyone could explain to me like I’m five why leaves change color in the fall. I know it has something to do with the temperature and the amount of sunlight, but I’m not sure how that makes the leaves turn red, yellow, and orange.
Thanks in advance for any explanations!
In: 11
This is an adaptation by trees in order to reduce evaporation during winter. When the ground freezes the tree roots are unable to get water and the tree might end up drying up over the winter. Most of the water loss is by evaporation in the leaves. Some trees will therefore shead their leaves in the autumn. The problem is that the green of the leaves, the chlorophill, requires a lot of minerals to make. So if the trees just sheaded the leaves they would likely end up with mineral deficiancy in the sping. They therefore absorb back all the green in their leaves before they shead them. This just leaves the raw structure of the leaves which is mostly cellulose and have a yellow/red/brown color to them.
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