A mathematical model reveals commonality within the
diversity of leaf decay.
The colorful leaves piling up in your backyard this fall can
be thought of as natural stores of carbon. In the springtime, leaves soak up
carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, converting the gas into organic carbon
compounds. Come autumn, trees shed their leaves, leaving them to decompose in
the soil as they are eaten by microbes.
Over time, decaying leaves release carbon back into the atmosphere as
carbon dioxide.