DENDROLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -At the end of fall, most deciduous trees lose their leaves for the winter season. In fact, the word deciduous comes from the Latin word decidere, which means to fall down or off. There are, however, a handful of deciduous trees around these parts that have a tendency to keep their leaves past fall.

Detailed explanation-2: -Winter temperatures cause the production of auxin to slow down and this breaks the abscission layer, causing the leaves to detach from the trees. Losing leaves helps the tree to retain water during in the winter and means that it needs less energy to stay alive. The fallen leaves help to add nutrients to the soil.

Detailed explanation-3: -Deciduous trees shed their leaves to survive. Once the winter has passed, the soil loses most of its moisture content. Since there is a derth off water, the tree must conserve all the water it needs to survive. It does so by shedding leaves which utilise water for photosynthesis.

Detailed explanation-4: -The leaves of the deciduous trees have a tendency to lose water. But during the dry season, water is scarce. Hence, deciduous trees shed their leaves to prevent water loss.