Pairs of Guard Cells Control the Openings of Breathing Pores in Leaves (IMAGE)

University of California - San Diego

Pairs of Guard Cells Control the Openings of Breathing Pores in Leaves

Caption

Plants take in the carbon dioxide they need for photosynthesis through these microscopic breathing pores in the surface of leaves. But for each molecule of the gas gained, they lose hundreds of water molecules through the openings. Biologists at UC San Diego have identified an enzyme that tightens the pores when it detects rising CO2.

Credit

Schroeder Lab, UC San Diego

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