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because most of them are made up of water. when the water evaporates out of them the cells deflate and become smaller as a result.

There are a number of reasons for leafs to reduce in size:

1. As in the above answer the leaf can decrease in size due to dessication of the leaf, and the plant if it does not receive sufficient water. This is the most directly measurable size change.

The other two decreases in leaf size are more subtle:

2. Plants also respond to external stimuli, such as light intensity. In areas of of high light intensity the size of new leaves can be reduced ; the reverse applies in low light conditions, where new leaves are larger to try and compensate for the lack of light.

3. Geographical location and climate; it is very common for exactly the same plant to look morphologically different if grown in different parts of the world under different climatic conditions.

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