Unravelling the evolution of autumn colours: an interdisciplinary approach - PubMed

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Unravelling the evolution of autumn colours: an interdisciplinary approach

Marco Archetti et al. Trends Ecol Evol. 2009 Mar.

Abstract

Leaf colour change is commonly observed in temperate deciduous forests in autumn. This is not simply a side effect of leaf senescence, and, in the past decade, several hypotheses have emerged to explain the evolution of autumn colours. Yet a lack of crosstalk between plant physiologists and evolutionary ecologists has resulted in slow progress, and so the adaptive value of this colour change remains a mystery. Here we provide an interdisciplinary summary of the current body of knowledge on autumn colours, and discuss unresolved issues and future avenues of research that might help reveal the evolutionary meaning of this spectacle of nature.

Comment in

• Ultraviolet leaf pigments as components of autumn colours: a constructive comment on Archetti et al.

  Sinkkonen A. Sinkkonen A. Trends Ecol Evol. 2009 May;24(5):236-7; author reply 237-8. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2009.01.006. Epub 2009 Mar 21. Trends Ecol Evol. 2009. PMID: 19307044 No abstract available.

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