Why do leaves change colour in Fall? Well the first thing I can tell you is that it is a biological function of certain plants that are in a category called deciduous. It is a long biological process that ultimately ends in a deciduous tree losing all of its leaves in a process called abscission which is why it is called fall but that is another story. When days start to get shorter due to winter approaching Food production in the leaves is cut down. This happens when Chlorophyll isn't produced anymore and chlorophyll is what makes leaves green. The reason the red and yellow colours appear is because of different colour pigments. Caretonoid is the yellow pigment which once the green chlorophyll disappears is now able to show through. In red leaves it is because anthocyanin is more dominant once the green chlorophyll has disappeared. So that is why they change colour, simply put because the green pigment disappears and leaves behind the red and yellow pigments. For more info on Fall and why deciduous trees do what they do have a look at the website below.
Have Fun!
http://www.squidoo.com/why-is-autumn-fall
No comments:
Post a Comment