1.1.12

Leaves

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Leaves

Leaves are examples of plant organs made up of different types of tissue:

Illustrative background for Epidermal tissueIllustrative background for Epidermal tissue ?? "content

Epidermal tissue

  • Epidermal tissue covers the outer surface of leaves (as well as the rest of the plant).
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Palisade mesophyll

  • Palisade mesophyll is a row of cells located below the upper epidermis.
  • The cells are exposed to a lot of sunlight.
  • The cells have lots of chloroplasts (where photosynthesis takes place) to maximise the energy transfer in photosynthesis.
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Spongy mesophyll

  • Spongy mesophyll contains many air spaces, which help with gas exchange throughout the leaf.
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Stomata

  • Found in the lower epidermis, these gaps facilitate (make easier) the diffusion of gases in and out of the leaf, if they are open.
  • When necessary, specialised (perform a specific function) guard cells are capable of closing these gaps.
    • e.g. in hot weather to reduce water loss.

Jump to other topics

1Biology

1.1Cells, Tissues & Organs

1.2Reproduction & Variation

1.3Ecological Relationships & Classification

1.4Digestion & Nutrition

1.5Plants & Photosynthesis

1.6Biological Systems & Processes

2Chemistry

2.1Particles

2.2Chemical Reactions

2.3Atoms, Elements, Compounds

2.4The Periodic Table

2.5Materials & the Earth

2.6Reactivity

2.7Energetics

2.8Properties of Materials

3Physics

3.1Energy

3.2Forces & Motion

3.3Waves

3.4Electricity & Magnetism

3.5Matter

3.6Space Physics

4Thinking Scientifically

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