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SCIENCE -- OCTOBER 12, 2011 AT 11:00 AM ET

Why Do Leaves Change Color?

BY: JENNY MARDER Like 221

Photo by Flickr user Tom Olliver. Not long after ad marketing turns from waterparks and beach getaways to maple spice lattes and pumpkin facials, fall colors begin to announce the arrival of autumn -- and some years, more loudly than others. Which leads us to a question we rarely stop to ponder: why do leaves change to dazzling yellows, burnt oranges and deep red colors in the fall? What's the chemistry behind it all? Understanding why leaves turn requires understanding some simple basics about tree pigments and photosynthesis. Contained within the leaf cells are disc-like structures called chloroplasts, the food producers within the cell. These are the site of photosynthesis, where light energy is converted to chemical energy. Inside the chloroplasts, light is captured and used to transform carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and sugars. Chemical energy gets stored in sugars, and "drives the biochemical reactions that enable plants to grow, flower, and produce seed," according to University of Wisconsin-Madison chemistry professor and president-elect of the American Chemical Society Bassam Shakhashiri, and this post. Chlorophyll is the most important pigment, says Robert Moreau, a plant biochemist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's research service branch. It absorbs the sunlight, which makes it critical for photosynthesis, and it is responsible for the green in leaves. During the growing season, it acts as a dominant pigment, masking pigments underneath. But here's the thing: Chlorophyll is not a very stable compound. It requires sunlight and warm temperatures, which means photosynthesis is going gangbusters all summer. But in autumn, a few things happen. Chlorophyll gets sluggish as nights grow longer and sunlight hours shrink. Also during this time, a corky layer of cells called the abscission layer seals the leaves off from the stem, blocking water flow. As this happens, the trees break down the chlorophyll and a yellow pigment called carotene get unmasked. Carotenoids and another pigment, xanthophylls, are responsible for the yellow and orange colors in corn, carrots, pumpkins and daffodils, as well as leaves. (Xanthopylls are also found in egg yolk and human blood plasma.) They are present in leaf cells during the growing season, protecting chlorophyll from damage. "The amounts of carotenoids is pretty much constant, unlike chlorophyll," Moreau said. So when chlorophyll breaks down, the yellow and orange colors are revealed. The vivid red and purple colors in scarlet red maples, sweet gum and dogwood trees come from anthocyanins, which also provide the red in cranberries and red apples, and are manufactured in the fall from sugars in the leaf. Some say that trees turn redder when the fall season is particularly bright and cold. (See this Nature News story from 2007.) The quality of the color show depends on weather, sunlight and soil moisture. "A growing season with ample moisture that is followed by a rather dry, cool, sunny autumn that is marked by warm days and cool but frostless nights provides the best weather conditions for development of the brightest fall colors," according to the United States National Arboretum. "Lack of wind and rain in the autumn prolongs the display; wind or heavy rain may cause the leaves to be lost before they develop their full color potential." Studies from Europe and Japan, where color change and leaf fall is extensively monitored, indicate that trees are flowering and leafing out earlier in the spring and holding their leaves later in autumn, said Richard Primack, professor of conservation biology and plant ecology at Boston University. These changes are linked to warmer temperatures. Some trees might do better with warmer years, Primack said, but many trees are sensitive to temperature, which means they could get too hot and dry in the summertime and die. "That's what's cause for concern," he said. "In the long term, we might see more southern species in New England. In the short term, it means a lot of the trees might start dying." Read more of the NewsHour's Science coverage.
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http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2011/10/why-do-leaves-change-color.html Dec 20, 2013, 8:06:08 AM

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11 comments
Newest Kait
! a year ago

Leaves change color because the tree is preparing itself for winter... in the winter there is less sunlight and less water, two of the main ingredients of photosynthesis. A tree looses its leaves because it is a survival mechanism. It is too costly energy-wise to give leaves water and nutrients, this could cause the whole plant to die.
1
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! a year ago

IdiotsBoreMe

Whether they answered why or how is a matter of opinion, some people cant see how they could ever be interchangeable, whereas others consider them to be almost the same thing.
! Share

Ajah Conage

! 2 years ago

i agree as well
! Share

ForestWander Nature Pictures

View

! 2 years ago

They certainly light up the forest!

1
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! 2 years ago

ForestWander Nature Pictures

This is a very interesting process. I believe that the reason the leaves change color is to show the Handy Work of the Lord, creator of heaven and earth!
2 1
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! 2 years ago

Waltercgatesjr

You didn't answer question asked. You addressed HOW, not WHY. The chemistry that you report is well known; what is not known is why do trees perform an energy intensive process only to discard the product thereof. What benet does the tree derive from all this activity?
5
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Aaaza9

Waltercgatesjr ! 2 years ago

I agree. A lot of science types are like this. They answer the question by dancing around important points. Obviously, we wouldnot have trees and leaves without (capital-G) Gravity.
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Aaaza9

Waltercgatesjr ! 2 years ago

I Agree. The Title of the Article should be: How do Leaves Change Color?
! Share

guest

! 2 years ago

this is some wakky stu". i'm not too into this stu", but it was kinda cool!
! Share

Tinkymoto

! 2 years ago

Fascinating, but pumpkin facials? I notice changes in my trees from year to year depending on the weather too. The fruit on fruit trees tend to show the most noticiable changes, such as, amount, size, taste and the length of time they bear fruit. We are the stewards of this beautiful legacy.
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Icareeco

! 2 years ago

I believe there must be more to it...here in Texas it has never gotten "cold", the sun shines brightly and yet the trees lose their leaves.
! Share

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http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2011/10/why-do-leaves-change-color.html

Dec 20, 2013, 8:06:08 AM