No leaves, no photosistesis.

2002/12/26 Elhuyar Zientzia

• Botanika
• Ekologia

Question asked in the forum of Zientzia.net. Xabi.If
the process of photosynthesis occurs in the leaves, what happens to the trees in winter when they have lost their leaves?

Trees that lose their leaves, in winter, do not perform photosynthesis. They minimize their metabolic activity and only keep the essential functions active, it can be said that they hibernate.

However, not all trees lose their leaves and, depending on the climate, they are divided into three groups.

In warm climate regions, below the Mediterranean, trees retain their leaves throughout the year, so they perform photosynthesis throughout the year.

However, in temperate climates, as in Europe, in winter it is cold and most trees lose their leaves, since otherwise they are damaged. From an energetic point of view, it is "cheaper" for trees than keeping their leaves all year round, losing all their leaves in autumn and hibernating winter. Then, as summer is long, they have enough time to create and grow new leaves.

However, the same does not occur in areas of very cold weather, near the poles or in high mountains. Winters are long and hard, while summers are too short for trees to fill the cycle well. In these countries pine resistant leaf trees predominate. These trees, in winter, do not lose their leaves to take advantage of the scarce existing light.