Why do leaves change color in Autumn?

Question

Why does this only happen in the fall? It's like all the trees know when to have their leaves change color, fall off, then grow back later... all at the same time. Explain please. :)

Answer 1

There are different pigments in leaves, namely chlorophyll and carotenoids.  When fall approaches, the plants stop producing chlorophyll (which is green), and the leftover pigments (carotenoids) reveal their colors-- red, yellow, orange.

The plants "know" winter is approaching because the nights become longer.

Answer 2

ok i when it is in summer it is hot and sunny and the heat is hot and when autum comes around the climate changes making the leaves dry because of the cold dry conditions then making the leaves  a golden red colour and when winter comes the leaves just die from the cold hard conditions but if you have an inside plant and keep it warm and moist it will stay the same

Answer 3

Function of autumn colors

Deciduous plants are believed to shed their leaves in autumn primarily because the high costs involved in their maintenance would outweigh the benefits from photosynthesis during the winter period of low light availability and cold temperatures.[1] However, there is no reason why leaf fall should necessarily be preceded by the production of vivid autumn colors, and the function of the color change is still uncertain. Autumn colors (especially red) are not just due to the breakdown of chlorophyll; in fact anthocyanins (red-purple) are actively produced in autumn. What use is the production of pigments in leaves that are about to fall? A number of hypotheses have been proposed, including photoprotection, coevolution and allelopathy:

Photoprotection

According to the photoprotection theory, anthocyanins protects the leaf against the harmful effects of light at low temperatures[2][3]. It is true that the leaves are about to fall and therefore it is not of extreme importance for the tree to protect them. Photo-oxidation and photo-inhibition, however, especially at low temperatures, make the process of reabsorbing nutrients less efficient. By shielding the leaf with anthocyanins, according to the photoprotection theory, the tree manages to reabsorb nutrients (especially nitrogen) more efficiently.

Coevolution

According to the coevolution theory [4], the colors are warning signals towards insects that use the trees as a host for the winter, for example aphids. If the colors are linked to the amount of chemical defenses against insects, then the insects will avoid red leaves and increase their fitness; at the same time trees with red leaves will have an advantage because they reduce their parasite load. The coevolution theory of autumn colors was born as a branch of evolutionary signalling theory. It is a general feature of biological signals that, when a signal is costly to produce, it is usually honest - that is it reveals the true quality of the signaller, because it does not pay for a low quality individual to cheat. Autumn colors might be a signal if they are costly to produce, or they could be an index, which is maintained because it is impossible to fake (because the autumn pigments are produced by the same biochemical pathway that produces the chemical defenses against the insects). Although it is not certain that aphids have red receptors, there is some evidence that they preferentially avoid trees with red leaves. This is what the coevolution theory predicts at the intraspecific level (more insects on dull leaves). It is also known that tree species with bright leaves have more specialist aphid pests than do trees lacking bright leaves[5], which is the interspecific prediction of the theory (autumn colors are useful only in those species coevolving with insect pests in autumn). The coevolution hypothesis has been subjected to criticism.[6]

The change of leaf colors prior to fall have also been suggested as adaptations that may help to undermine the camouflage of herbivores.[7]

Many plants with berries attract birds with especially visible berry and/or leaf color, particularly bright red. The birds get a meal while the shrub, vine or typically small tree gets undigested seeds carried off and deposited with the birds' manure. Poison Ivy is particularly notable for having bright red foliage drawing birds to its off-white seeds (which are edible for birds, but not most mammals).

Allelopathy

Researchers at New York's Colgate University have found evidence that the brilliant red colors of maple leaves is created by a separate processes then those in chlorophyll breakdown. At the very time when the tree is struggling to cope with the energy demands of a changing and challenging season maple trees are involved in an additional metabolic expenditure to create anthocyanins. These anthocyanins, which create the visual red hues, have been found to aid in interspecific competition by stunting the growth of nearby saplings in what is known as allelopathy. (Frey & Eldridge, 2005)