Why don’t some trees lose their leaves in winter?
Trees that lose their leaves are called ‘deciduous’. They mostly come from cold climates and lose their leaves in winter when there is not much sunshine and it is very cold. Pine trees are an exception to this general rule. In warmer parts of the world plants often grow all the year round. Leaves grow old, die, and fall from the tree – but the new leaves are replacing them all the time. The Red Cedar (not a pine tree but an Australian rainforest tree) is one of the few Australian rainforest deciduous trees. In the dry areas of Australia some plants lose their leaves when there is a drought, and then grow them back again after it rains. Are all marine plants highly tolerant of salt? Yes, marine plants have to cope with all the salts dissolved in sea water or they would die. Water moves into and out of cells by osmosis and all living things have evolved mechanisms to control how much water is taken in or lost. Why does the sunflower follow the sun? Plants need sunlight for energy to grow
