![]() Throughout autumn, plants are actively breaking down chlorophyll along with the many other photosynthetic components, and as levels of chlorophyll decline, the brightly colored pigments we associate with autumn leaves become visible. It is only during the latter stages of this process that the showy colors of autumn appear.Ĭhlorophyll is the pigment that gives plants their green color and is used by plants to capture the sun’s energy. However, much of this process takes place before any visible color change in leaves, and thus this surge of activity goes largely unnoticed. The disassembly of leaf components in autumn is highly organized and complex. The shortening days and cooler temperatures of autumn signal plants to begin a process by which a leaf’s photosynthetic components are disassembled and the nutrients contained within them are moved to stems and roots for storage and re-use the following year. Thus, it is important for plants to recover as many of these nutrients as possible before the leaves are discarded in autumn. These nutrients are valuable resources in nature, and the amount of nutrients a plant possesses directly affects the plant’s capacity to grow and reproduce. These nutrients, in particular nitrogen and phosphorus, are components of proteins, pigments and other compounds necessary for photosynthesis, the process by which plants use the sun’s energy to manufacture sugars from water and carbon dioxide. Recent research has done much to explain the functions of this phenomenon.ĭuring summer, the majority of a plant’s nutrients are contained within the leaves. ![]() ![]() Although a familiar annual event, much of our understanding of autumn leaf coloration has, until recently, been based primarily on random observation and speculation. The bright yellow, orange and red colors of autumn leaves are one of nature’s most beautiful spectacles. William Hoch, formerly of UW-Madison, Horticulture Dept. Carotenoids and anthocyanins give leaves their bright fall colors. ![]()
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