Using a “Cuase-and-Effect Chain” explain why leaves change color and fall from the tree. Used details from the story.

What story?

could you at least give us the name of the story?

To explain why leaves change color and fall from the tree using a "Cause-and-Effect Chain," we need to understand the underlying processes that lead to this seasonal phenomenon. Let's break it down step by step, using details from the story.

1. Cause: Autumn arrives and days become shorter. This change in daylight duration triggers the first step in the process.

2. Effect: The reduced daylight hours signal to the tree that it is time to prepare for winter. The tree begins to undergo several physiological changes in response to this signal.

3. Cause: As a result of the reduced daylight hours, the tree decreases its production of chlorophyll, the green pigment responsible for photosynthesis.

4. Effect: As chlorophyll levels decline, other pigments that were previously masked become visible. These pigments include carotenoids (which produce yellow, orange, and brown colors) and anthocyanins (which produce red and purple colors).

5. Cause: The reduction in chlorophyll production is accompanied by the weakening of the leaf stem or petiole, which attaches the leaf to the tree branch.

6. Effect: The weakened petiole cannot support the weight of the leaf, causing it to detach from the tree.

7. Cause: During the fall, leaves also produce a layer of cells called the abscission layer at the base of the petiole.

8. Effect: The abscission layer acts as a barrier between the leaf and the tree, gradually sealing off the flow of water and nutrients to the leaf.

9. Cause: As the abscission layer develops, it cuts off the supply of water and nutrients to the leaf.

10. Effect: Without a sufficient supply of water and nutrients, the leaf ceases its metabolic activities, leading to its eventual death.

11. Cause: The combination of reduced chlorophyll production, the presence of other pigments, weakened petioles, and the abscission layer completes the process.

12. Effect: The leaves change color and eventually fall from the tree, making way for new growth in the coming spring.

Understanding the cause-and-effect chain helps clarify that the changing of leaf color and the falling process are interconnected responses triggered by the changing seasons and the tree's preparation for winter.