What are economics to a plant? I told you last time that plant leaves need to be profitable – they should gain more carbon over their life span then they cost to build. If this wasn’t true there would be no plants, because plants are mostly carbon! But is this economic situation the same in…
Month: September 2010
Peering into a leaf
Why do some plants lose their leaves in autumn, and others not? Plants make leaves to to capture energy from the sun and transform it into chemicals that the plant can use for growth and reproduction. But leaves aren’t free – they cost the plant a large amount of resources to build and maintain. So…