Why do many savanna trees lose their leaves during the dry season?

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Flat savanna plain with scattered acacia trees under a partly cloudy sky in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. — Savanna A savanna marked with acacia trees in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. Africa's Serengeti Plain is commonly used as an example of the savanna biome—a hot, seasonally dry ecological region characterized by an open tree canopy (i.e., scattered trees) above an understory of continuous grasses.

In the context of the savanna, many trees lose their leaves during the dry season primarily to reduce transpirational loss of water.1

Because savannas experience a long period where moisture is inadequate for growth, this adaptation helps trees conserve water when it is scarce. While these trees possess deep root systems that allow them to tap into moisture located further beneath the soil surface, shedding their leaves serves as a critical survival mechanism to minimize water loss through evaporation. Interestingly, even while leafless, some of these tree species may still carry open flowers during this period.1