In plants, stomata are wonderful pores, mostly dispatched on leaf epiderme but present on almost any other plant organ. They serve the crucial role of facilitating gaz exchanges between inside and outside.
Crucial, since plants are “breathing eaters“, essentially with multiple layers of cells, and they need to ease air transport deep into the most inner cells.
Mouths or lungs, but loose mungs… (because they are formed by two bean shaped cells who are physiologically opening or closing the door). But that is the basics about stomata. A well designed defined purpose, a very insightful function. Now this is so wonderfully simple and striking that it could not serve other function, would it?
So here is a small but nice example of what evolution always results in when species face problems of getting things out fast: instead of reinventing the wheel, it cycles bits and pieces.
In our case, it redevised stomata specially for flowers that would secrete nectar dropping into the labellum (ah, orchids!)*. Sweet (nectar).
If there was any designer anyhow that day Maxillaria anceps was created, wouldn t you think it was especially lazzy when it reused old fashion stomata at a place where intelligently designed nectar secreting structures would best serve the orchid purpose of attracting sugar craving pollinators?
* K. L. Davies, M. Stpiczynnska and A. Gregg (2005). Nectar-secreting Floral Stomata in Maxillaria anceps Ames & C. Schweinf. (Orchidaceae). Annals of Botany 96: 217–227.
Nice writing. You are on my RSS reader now so I can read more from you down the road.
[…] they consist in stomata surrounded by masses of conducting tissues (nectaries are sometimes made up this easy way anyway, even if this is clearly not their primary evolutionary […]
[…] to the basics! Posted on September 29, 2009 by seedsaside Nectar production is anything but a cheap strategy. Indeed, you bet on a real increase of fitness (pollinators tend to remember those flowers that are […]
What does the stomata of an burning bush look like becasue i’m ding a project and i need a little help becasue i don’t own a microscope
this was so helpful for me .thank u so much