The colours of autumn leaves, and fruits.
by Chris, 12 October, 2018, 3 comments
It is now ‘officially’ Autumn, the leaves of deciduous trees have ‘done their job’. Their photosynthetic abilities are in decline as winter is not conducive to photosynthesis and growth. Low temperature and low light intensity mean that metabolism slows right down. The leaves of a tree become a liability in that they would make use of the reserves that the tree has stored away for hard times, plus the leaves offer resistance to the winds of winter so a tree is more likely to sustain damage (see video clip below) - branches ripped from the stem or the tree may even be uprooted.
So the leaves are ‘discarded’ but before that happens they change colour. The green colour of the chlorophyll is lost and a variety of other colours emerge - reds, oranges and yellows. These colours are associated with different pigments, the carotenes, xanthophylls and the anthocyanins. Read more...
