Question

In tropical regions with distinct wet and dry seasons, plants that drop their leaves at the onset of the dry season are termed drought ________.

Answer 1

Plants in tropical regions that drop their leaves at the onset of the dry season to conserve water are known as drought deciduous.

Step-by-step explanation:

In tropical regions with distinct wet and dry seasons, plants that drop their leaves at the onset of the dry season are termed drought deciduous. These plants have adapted to the seasonal changes by shedding their leaves to reduce water loss during periods of extreme dryness. Unlike tropical wet forests, which are evergreen, tropical dry forests and other biomes with a seasonally dry climate commonly experience leaf loss. This adaptive strategy allows the trees to conserve resources by not maintaining leaves that would otherwise lose water during the dry season. Some of these plants may store the energy as underground parts such as bulbs to support the growth of new leaves once the wet season returns.