Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 23, 2026
05:22
Identification of the Genes Involved in Stomatal Development via Epidermal Phenotype Scoring
Published on: January 20, 2023
Ozone-induced stomatal sluggishness develops progressively in Siebold's beech (Fagus crenata)
Yasutomo Hoshika1, Makoto Watanabe, Naoki Inada
1Silvicluture and Forest Ecological Studies, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8689, Japan.
Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)
|April 17, 2012
Summary
Ozone pollution and leaf senescence impair tree gas exchange and water regulation. These factors reduce plants' ability to adapt to changing light, negatively impacting growth.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Plant Physiology
- Forest Ecology
Background:
- Leaf senescence and ozone exposure significantly impact plant physiological processes.
- Understanding plant responses to environmental stressors is crucial for predicting forest health.
- Stomatal conductance regulates gas exchange and water loss in plants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the combined effects of ozone and leaf senescence on stomatal conductance.
- To analyze how ozone and senescence alter plants' dynamic stomatal responses to light variations.
- To assess the implications for plant growth and water management.
Main Methods:
- A free-air ozone exposure experiment was conducted on Fagus crenata, a deciduous broadleaved tree species.
- Measurements focused on steady-state stomatal conductance and dynamic stomatal responses to light changes.
- Seasonal variations due to leaf senescence were considered alongside ozone treatments.
Main Results:
- Leaf senescence intrinsically altered both steady-state and dynamic stomatal responses.
- Ozone exposure progressively decreased steady-state leaf gas exchange.
- Ozone led to a sluggish stomatal closure in response to environmental changes.
Conclusions:
- Ozone impairs the ability of plants to acclimate to fluctuating light environments.
- Reduced stomatal responsiveness due to ozone can negatively affect plant growth.
- Ozone pollution compromises a plant's capacity for regulating water loss.
Related Concept Videos
02:04Regulation of Transpiration by Stomata
During photosynthesis, plants acquire the necessary carbon dioxide and release the produced oxygen back into the atmosphere. Openings in the epidermis of plant leaves is the site of this exchange of gasses. A single opening is called a stoma—derived from the Greek word for “mouth.” Stomata open and close in response to a variety of environmental cues.
01:46The Calvin Benson Cycle
Ribulose 1,5- bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCo) is a critical enzyme that catalyzes carbon dioxide assimilation during photosynthesis. However, it is an inefficient enzyme, having an extremely slow catalytic rate. A typical enzyme can process about a thousand molecules per second; however, RuBisCo fixes only around three-carbon dioxides per second. Photosynthetic cells compensate for this slow rate by synthesizing very high amounts of RuBisCo, making it the most abundant single...
01:57Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss
Though evaporation from plant leaves drives transpiration, it also results in loss of water. Because water is critical for photosynthetic reactions and other cellular processes, evolutionary pressures on plants in different environments have driven the acquisition of adaptations that reduce water loss.
02:45Responses to Heat and Cold Stress
Every organism has an optimum temperature range within which healthy growth and physiological functioning can occur. At the ends of this range, there will be a minimum and maximum temperature that interrupt biological processes.
02:41Responses to Drought and Flooding
Water plays a significant role in the life cycle of plants. However, insufficient or excess of water can be detrimental and pose a serious threat to plants.
01:27C4 Pathway and CAM
Most plants use the C3 pathway for carbon fixation. However, some plants, such as sugar cane, corn, and cacti that grow in hot conditions, use alternative pathways to fix carbon and conserve energy loss due to photorespiration. Photorespiration is the process that occurs when the oxygen concentration is high. Under such conditions, the rubisco enzyme in the Calvin cycle binds O2 instead of CO2, which halts photosynthesis and consumes energy.
C4 Pathway
The C4 pathway is used by plants such as...
C4 Pathway
The C4 pathway is used by plants such as...