A video featuring Jingjing Liang, an associate professor of quantitative forest ecology in the Purdue University College of Agriculture's Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, has been uploaded to the AP Video Hub.
In the video, he explains what causes leaves to change color in the fall, when they will change and how climate change will impact this process. This video can be found at https://bit.ly/3SFPYmn.
Liang says that chlorophyll, a chemical compound that gives plants energy during photosynthesis, is responsible for the green color of leaves. During the fall, Liang says that a reduction in solar energy and lower temperatures cause trees to produce less chlorophyll. This results in the vibrant red, yellow and orange colors that Liang says are the true color of the leaves.
He believes that fall coloration in trees will peak sometime during the second half of October. Liang says this will depend on local weather patterns and what kinds of trees are in a certain area. He expects climate change will have an impact on fall foliage color as weather patterns change and tree species shift in reaction to fluctuating temperatures.
Liang says the areas where certain trees currently live will probably shift over the coming decades as a result of changes in the environment.
Categories: Indiana, General