Deciduous trees in winter: boring and bare? I think not!

I read through all my past blog posts yesterday in attempt to see if my writing had improved since I started BIOL 821.  I think it is getting better – it’s not poetic or anything – but my sentences are generally simple and clear.  But, my paragraphs are always too long.  I have a major problem with cutting out words, ideas, and examples that I think are absolutely necessary.  They’re not.  And see, I’m doing it again – this paragraph is clearly too long.

So for this last non-research post, I’m going to talk about what deciduous trees do in winter, with a main goal of writing short, concise paragraphs (this is a good start!).

Deciduous trees covered in snow

In late fall and early winter, temperatures drop, daily light duration decreases, and snow eventually arrives.  For deciduous woody species, leaves subsequently fall in preparation for winter.

The abscission process helps trees get ready in many ways.  First, leaf loss reduces leaf maintenance costs.  Little liquid water and sunlight are available to fuel expensive maintenance efforts.  Too, leaf maintenance would be high due to appetite demands of hungry winter herbivores.

Abscission is important in preparing
trees for winter

Second, abscission reduces cavitation in tree xylem.  In winter, water tension in xylem becomes so great that the air within the water expands and causes extensive damage.  And repairing cavitation is not an easy process; solutes must be imported into the xylem, but water often follows and can re-dissolve air, starting the whole cavitation process all over again.  It is more economical to loose leaves – and thus transpiration – than to pay for cavitation.

Third, water is conserved when leaves fall.  With water not readily available, the route for transpiration is eliminated, avoiding excess water depletion.

Soon after the abscission process, deciduous trees produce ABA (abscisic acid, a plant hormone) and continue to all winter long.  ABA promotes dormancy and decreases metabolism, allowing only basic functions continue – respiration and vascular system transportation.



Below ground is a different story.  Roots can actually continue to grow throughout the winter when soil temperatures are above 7^oC; possible when a good snowfall covers and insulates the soil.  This growth and activity aid in desiccation avoidance and helps root systems expand before spring arrives.



Although you can't see it, many
processes are happening
underneath that bark!

Although the forest looks drab and bare, important processes within the bark and roots go unnoticed – and are extremely important for forest health!  Abscission, dormancy, and root growth all aid in prepping the deciduous trees for a successful spring.

Well there, I did it.  My paragraphs are clearly shorter than before!  However, I think shortening my ideas makes my sentences boring.  Each sentence seems to follow the same structure: subject, verb, phrase.  Next on the writing to-do list: write short paragraphs and concise sentences, but be more creative with sentence structure!

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deciduous

http://www.ehow.com/about_6542309_purpose-winter-trees_.html

http://northernwoodlands.org/articles/article/what_do_tree_roots_do_in_winter