Please help me!!!! Why do leaves wilt when submerged in water????

Question

Please help me!!!! Why do leaves wilt when submerged in water????

Answer 1

THey don't exactly "wilt" when submerged in water. They wilt when they are deprived of water. YOu can see them shrink as they dry out.  When they are submerged in water, the opposite happens.  

A leaf is supposed to be about 60% water and 40% cellular material.  They don't feel wet when they are on a tree but they are wet when you rip one open.  When you submerge a leaf, it absorbs too much water. It becomes 90% water.  It almost stops acting like a leaf.  It is like a soggy piece of cardboard.  It can't stay alive this way.  It needs to be in balance.  The water has altered the balance.

Answer 2

Initially, the leaves will remain turgid when submerged in water.  But water holds less oxygen than air so the leaves begin to die.  As they die, bacteria and fungi will decay the leaves so they become "wilted" in the sense they have lost the normal rigidity.