Stomatal Mechanism

Submitted To:
Miss Arshia Tariq

Submitted By:

Moqadas Ijaz 320

Muhammad Faisal 281
Maria Bibi 297
Saba Nadir 311
Mudasra Tehreem 323
Muhammad Mukhtiar 324
Fiza Bibi 338

Department:
BS Botany (6th Semester 2020-2024)
Stomatal Mechanism
Stomata
 Stomatal Mechanism
• pores or gaps in the lower epidermis through
which gaseous exchange and water loss take
place
• Found in leaves and stems
• Surrounded by two guard cells that contain
chloroplast and can photosynthesise
• Guard cells control the size of the stoma by
changes in turgidity
 Stomatal Mechanism
• guard cells consist of cellulose fibres arranged
radially around each cell
• Cell walls unevenly thickened
• inner walls (ventral wall) much more packed
with inelastic fibers, thicker, less elastic
• Ventral walls expand less during turgidity
 Stomatal Mechanism
• outer walls (dorsal walls) are less packed with
these fibres, thinner
• they expand more during turgidity.
• open during the day to allow the diffusion of CO2
into the plant needed for photosynthesis.
• This depends on the structure and arrangement
of the cellulose fibres around the guard cells of
the stomata.
 Stomatal Mechanism
• during the day the guard cells acquire a lower
water potential as ions are secreted into them
• water subsequently is lost from them by
transpiration
• This contributes to a lower potential in the guard
cells
• water rushes into guard cells from the spongy
mesophyll cells allowing for their expansion
 Stomatal Mechanism
• The inner walls will expand less than the outer
walls
• the inner portion increases in length
• expansion outwards is prevented because of the
close stacking of the inelastic cellulose fibres
• Ends of guard cells joined-dorsal wall strectches
more than ventral wall making each guard cell
semi-circular
• Hence, stoma appears between guard cells
 Stomatal Mechanism
• When the guard cells lose water by transpiration
the pore closes
• Transpiration is the main driving force for the
opening and closing of the stoma
• Opening of a stoma is a result in changes in
pressure potential of the guard cells resulting
from changes in water potential
• Stomata open in light and close in darkness
• In the light K+ ions and Cl- ions enter guard cells
 Stomatal Mechanism
• This lowers their water potential, water enters by
osmosis
• Hence, stoma opens
• In darkness K+ ions move out of the guard cells
into surrounding epidermal cells
• Water potential of guard cells increases
• Water moves out of the cells
• Loss of pressure makes the guard cells change
shape and the stoma closes
Measuring Transpiration
 Measuring Transpiration
• Use of potometer-measures the rate of water
uptake by a cut shoot or young seedling
• Does not measure transpiration directly but
since most water taken up is lost by
transpiration, the two processes are closely
linked
• As the shoot transpires the water vapour is
replaced by water drawn in from the potometer
via the xylem of the stem
 Procedure
• Cut a leafy shoot under water if possible to avoid
air entering the xylem
• Submerge the potometer in water, filling it with
water
• Fit shoot onto rubber tube ensuring a tight fit
• Remove apparatus from water and shake off
excess water
• Seal joints around tube with vasaline to keep
apparatus watertight
 Procedure
• Introduce an air bubble into the water column
by using the syringe to push the water almost to
the end of the capillary tube
• Leave a small air space
• Place open end of capillary tube in water
• Draw up more water behind the air space
• Measure the distance moved by the air space in a
given time
• Calculate the water uptake
 Procedure
• Repeat experiment under different conditions
eg. light, temperature, still and moving air
 Factors affecting Transpiration Rate
1. Temperature
2. Humidity and Vapour Pressure
3. Air Movement
4. Light
 Temperature
• a measure of the degree of heat in the
environment
• Temp affects transpiration because an increased
temperature allows for a higher rate of
evaporation from the leaves of the plant thus
increasing the transpiration rate
• temperature decreases the relative humidity of
an environment which again increases
transpiration rate
 Humidity and Vapour Pressure
• a measure of the concentration of water
vapour/vapour pressure
• high humidity - greater concentration of water
molecules in the atmosphere just outside the leaves
• This reduces the steepness of the diffusion gradient
of water from inside to outside so that transpiration
rate is significantly reduced
• as humidity increases transpiration rate decreases
and as humidity decreases transpiration rate
increases
 Air movement
• allows for the displacement of the saturated
water vapour around the leaves
• this decreases the relative humidity and
subsequently increases the transpiration rate
 Light
• affects the opening and the closing of the
stomata
• affects the movement of water into and out of
the leaves by transpiration.
• in the night when the stomata are closed the
humidity outside decreases and in the morning
the transpiration rate would increase