Decaying leaves do change the ph of the soil and can leave a wet heavy mass that new sprouts have trouble sprouting through and seeds have trouble getting throu

Decaying leaves do change the ph of the soil and can leave a wet heavy mass that new sprouts have trouble sprouting through and seeds have trouble getting through to the soil. There is no reason shedding leaves has to only be for one single purpose like weather protection, saving energy, or trying to prevent competition, it can be all at once.