The Effect of Stomata Density on the Midrib and Margin of Woody Dicot Leaves
INTRODUCTION
Plants are relied heavily on their ability to exchange water and gases to keep life on Earth alive and well. Tiny, microscopic pores that are found on the surface of stems and leaves in plants are vital in order for this exchange to occur. These pores, or openings, are called stomata (Freeman, 2011). Stomata are mainly open when photosynthesis is occurring, which takes place during the day, and are closed at night. The stomata also tend to open and close in response to various stimuli and physiological states. Stomata density is the number of stomata per leaf area. Photosynthesis is certainly higher at the margin of the leaf rather than the center of the leaf; this is due to the fact that the edge of the leaf can be particularly active, mainly in cooler climate (USA, 2014). Therefore, toothed leaves are more prone to be able to exchange gases more relatively. Furthermore, leaf margin analysis can be used to determine what the climate is during a time period. Back in 150,000-year period, oxygen exchanging gasses within the fossil was documented, thus in this experiment LMA will be tested to see if more stomata are in the margin of the leaves.
In this experiment we will determine the amount of photosynthetic gases that are being exchanged to determine the uptake of carbon dioxide while water and oxygen is being released into the external atmosphere. This data will be used to determine the climate of the environment. In order to determine this, counting of smooth leaves, tooth leaves, and the stomata within the midrib and the edges of the leaves will be accounted for. The null hypothesis will conclude that there is no effect on...
... middle of paper ...
... carbon fixation rapidly denature” (Environmental Correlates of Leaf Stomata Density (Description).").
Since the amount of stomata in each field of view is relatively abundant, it was fairly difficult to keep an exact count of how many each area actually restricted. For future research I would possibly keep a tally or have indications on how I counted the stomata. Overall the results are found to be coherent.
REFERENCES
"Environmental Correlates of Leaf Stomata Density (Description)." Environmental Correlates of Leaf Stomata Density (Description). N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
Freeman, Scott. Biological Science / Scott Freeman. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2011. Print.
USA, 2014. Leaf Structure-Function & Writing Lab Reports. University of South Alabama Biological Sciences Department Laboratory Exercise, Accessed February 2014, 11 pages.
Two members of the group were instructed to visit the laboratory each day of the experiment to water and measure the plants (Handout 1). The measurements that were preformed were to be precise and accurate by the group by organizing a standardized way to measure the plants. The plants were measured from the level of the soil, which was flat throughout all the cups, to the tip of the apical meristems. The leaves were not considered. The watering of the plants took place nearly everyday, except for the times the lab was closed. Respective of cup label, the appropriate drop of solution was added to the plant, at the very tip of the apical meristems.
Depending on the biomes, rainfall and soil can vary. However, the rainfall is typically ranges from 30 cm to 200 cm. In mountainous regions and forest biomes, there would be plenty of rainfall. While in the grasslands, there’s little rainfall. In the temperate zone, there are two main types of trees, coniferous and deciduous. The deciduous trees, in the South, drop their leaves in the winter. Generally, the trees are usually small in height unless in the forest areas. The forests tend to have wide leaves and tall, large trees. The soil in deciduous forests is found to be very fertile. The different amount of rainfall in the forest areas and the grasslands cause the difference between the trees and plant height. The rainfall in forest regions can lead them to be very common with the rainforests. Furthermore, the changes and variation of weather could be the reason as to why the forests shed or don’t shed their leaves. The leaves show a correlation between the fair amount of sunlight during the summer causing the leaves
2)Campbell, Neil A., and Jane B. Reece. Biology. San Francisco, CA: Benjamin Cummings, 2008. Print.
Photosynthesis happens in leaves so this experiment was conducted with foliage. Foliage is just another way of saying leaves. These leaves have been group together and they also have roots in the soil. The height of the plant above the soil was about 4 inches tall. All of the plants weighed 3 oz. the five plants had differences on their leaves. Plant A had solid green leaves. Plant B was green but it was lighter in the middle of the leaf. Plant C had a red stem and there was a red thick band on the edge.
The Effect of Light Intensity on the Rate of Oxygen Production in a Plant While Photosynthesis is Taking Place
As a result of these factors, the flora has adapted to these conditions in a variety of ways including their shape, leaf type, root system, and color. One of the most prominent adapt...
Vascular bundles are arranged differently in the different parts of a plant. The vascular bundles are found near the outer edge in the stem. The xylem is found towar...
Elodea is an anaerobic plant frequently utilized to understand and manage photosynthesis. Deciding to test the carbon dioxide different levels by setting two beakers containing the Elodea that should weigh roughly weigh between 1.5-2g and one beaker under the light. In the process we put the beakers in the appropriate spots for an hour, drops of phenolphthalein and of 0.02 mL of NaOH were included into every beaker then record the changes in carbon dioxide reproduction. It was presumed that the beaker with Elodea in 20 salt drops, would take more noteworthy measures by which decrease the carbon dioxide than the beaker with Elodea that had no salt. The Elodea that had 20 salt drops display no difference. The experiment gives us a better comprehension in regard to which circumstances does a plant undergo in the real world if it’s in high salt concentration.
Sulfur may enter the plants in few ways such as enter through the roots in form of sulphate ion, dissolved in water with form of sulphate ion or in form of gaseous sulfur dioxide (SO2) which can penetrates into the leaves through the stomata. But both of it can be utilized by plants through the metabolism of normal sulfur, although the limited pathway via cuticle was proof. However, the aperture of the stomata was largely controlled by conditions of the environment, such as temperature, ligh...
Levitt, Jacob. Responses of plants to environmental stresses. 2d ed. New York: Academic Press, 1980. Print.
Investigating the Relationship Between the Transpiration Rate of a Shoot and the Degree of Opening of the Stomata of Its Leaves
A few details, in particular, that may have affected the stomata density on the leaves we extracted include, the moisture level of the soil and building coverage from high wind speeds and extreme temperatures. The leafs extracted from an area with high sun exposure were surrounded by mulch, a dry form of soil, which could have contributed to the lack of open stomata. It should also be factored in that the campus of George Mason is constructed of many buildings, leaving parts of the ground either shaded or completely exposed to sunlight. The leaves from an area of low sun exposure would not be susceptible to overheating, whereas the leave from an area of high sun exposure would be susceptible, which could affect the number of stomata. Furthermore, wind speeds would vary between the two types of areas because of building coverage, which is another factor that could have interfered with the number of stomata recorded and the overall stomata
Ustin, S.L. and Gamon, J.A. 2010. Remote sensing of plant functional types. New Phytoloigist., 186(4). Pp 795-816
Miller, K. R., & Levine, J. S. (2010). Miller & Levine biology. Boston, Mass: Pearson
function of stomata; to let gases in and out of the leaf i.e. to allow