In order to conserve water, coniferous trees have adapted to the colder weather conditions of their existence by converting their leaves into needle-like structures. The color-changing leaves of a deciduous tree are significantly different from their coniferous counterparts. This difference is supplemented by several other dissimilarities.
Deciduous vs Coniferous
The main difference between deciduous and coniferous trees is in terms of the leaves each variety of tree produces. While deciduous trees are known for their distinguishable broad leaves that are shed during the autumn months, coniferous trees are known for their thin, needle-like leaves that are fairly different from any other varieties of flora.
Comparison Table Between Deciduous and Coniferous
| Parameters of Comparison | Deciduous | Conifers |
| Leaves | Broad leaves that bloom during spring and are shed during the autumn season. | Thin needle-like modified structures that have replaced leaves. |
| Wood Type | These are hardwood trees that are used to make furniture. | These are softwood trees that are commonly used to make paper. |
| Weather Conditions of Existence | Found in the warmer regions of the world. | Found in the colder regions of the world, especially in the Tundra region. |
| Fruits and Flowers | Colorful fruits and flowers are produced. | No fruits and flowers are produced. Cones containing seeds are produced. |
| Color of Leaves | The color of leaves changes during the autumn and winter months. | The needle-like leaves do not change their color. |
| Shape of Foliage | These trees grow outward and thus the foliage is broad. | These trees grow upward in the shape of a cone. |
| The Season for Shedding Leaves | Leaves are shed during the autumn season. | Leaves are shed all year-round and constantly replaced by new ones. |
What are Deciduous Trees?
Deciduous trees are broad-leaved trees that shed their leaves during a particular season of the year- namely autumn. The word deciduous means ‘to shed at maturity’. This signifies that the leaves of these trees turn into bright shades of red, orange and yellow during the autumn months and fall to the ground.
These trees shed their leaves to reduce the loss of water through transpiration during the winter months. Some deciduous trees may also shed their leaves during the dry season to conserve water. With the onset of the spring season, new leaves begin to grow on their branches.
These trees are known to produce beautifully colored flowers and fruits. The pigmentation of the flowers and fruits aid in seed dispersal by attracting the various agents of pollination. The hardwood from these trees is extremely valuable and expensive. Wood from trees like Oak, Maple, Cherry and Birch is used to manufacture furniture.
What are Coniferous Trees?
Coniferous trees are trees that have needle-like structures instead of leaves in order to reduce water loss in the cold regions of their existence. The waxy outer coating of these leaves reduces transpiration. The name of these trees literally translates to ‘cone-bearing trees’. Thus, instead of flowers and fruits, they produce seed containing cones.
These trees usually grow to great heights in a cone-shaped manner. This enables them to withstand the weight of snow on their branches and prevents them from collapsing.
Unlike deciduous trees, they do not have a season dedicated to the shedding of leaves. They replace old leaves throughout the year. This makes most confers evergreen trees. The softwood from these trees is essential for paper production. Fir, Pine, Cedar Junipers are well-known conifers found in the tundra regions of the world.
Main Differences Between Deciduous and Coniferous
- The main difference between these two varieties of trees in terms of the structure of leaves found in each. While deciduous trees have broad leaves that bloom during spring and are shed during the autumn season, coniferous trees like dark green needle-like leaves that are modifications in response to the cold harsh weather conditions these trees have to sustain.
- A significant difference between the two trees is the quality of wood produced under each variety. Deciduous trees are renowned for their hardwood barks. Hardwood from these trees is often used to make furniture. Whereas, coniferous trees produce softwood. This kind of wood is mainly used in matchbox and paper production.
- Another difference can be noted in terms of the fruits and flowers produced by each variety of flora. While deciduous trees produce a myriad variety of fruits and flowers, coniferous trees produce neither. Instead, conifers produce seed containing cones.
- Deciduous trees often flower during the period marked by the absence of leaves. Whereas, coniferous trees do not produce flowers.
- The shape taken by the deciduous tree foliage is also quite different from that of the coniferous foliage. The former grows outward- spanning across a region- in order to maximize the absorption of sunlight. However, coniferous forests grow to great heights, almost in the shape of a cone. This prevents the trees from collapsing under the weight of snow.
- Deciduous trees are commonly found in the warmer regions of the world, while coniferous trees are common in the tundra regions.
- Deciduous trees are known to change the color of their leaves, especially during the autumn months, when the leaves turn into shades of red, orange and yellow. However, the needle-like leaves of coniferous trees do not change color.
Conclusion
Deciduous and coniferous trees are two of the most common variants of flora found around the world. There are salient differences between these two types of trees- beginning with the shape of their leaves. While deciduous trees have broad leaves that change color during the autumn and winter season, coniferous trees have needle-like modified leaves to cope with the colder weather conditions.
Vibrant flowers are commonly found in most deciduous trees. Fruits of these trees contain seeds for the creation of their new progeny. However, both of these entities are absent in the case of a coniferous tree. Cones containing seeds are produced by coniferous trees to help create the new progeny.
Growing in relatively warmer environments deciduous trees have broad leaves, while the colder regions where conifers are generally found have forced them to adapt to the weather conditions by modifying their leaves.
The wood harvested from these trees is also different. While deciduous trees are hardwood trees that provide wood for furniture making, conifers are softwood trees that are commonly used in the production of paper.
References
- https://www.isprs.org/proceedings/XXXVI/3-W52/final_papers/Liang_2007.pdf
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%252FBF00365558