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What happens to the components of a leaf that a tree is about to shed?
AThey are washed out into the soil below
BThey are recycled for use in other processes
CThey are sealed inside the hardened bark
DThey are burned off by photosynthesis first
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. They are recycled for use in other processes
1. In many trees the older leaves turn yellow and eventually fall.
2. Leaf fall is triggered by factors such as reduced photosynthetic efficiency under shading, or oxidative damage from photosynthetic reactions.
3. Before the leaf goes, its components are recycled by the plant for use in other processes.
4. Those processes include the development of seed and storage, and the whole business is called nutrient recycling.
5. Losing the components to the soil would waste them, which is precisely what recycling avoids.
6. The complex pathways of nutrient recycling within a plant are not well understood, though hormones are known to play a role in senescence.
_Source: OpenStax Biology (1st ed., CC BY 4.0), Ch 32 "Plant Reproduction", section 32.3 Asexual Reproduction_
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