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Biology / Unit 11   Bio 2535 short lesson, about 20 seconds

Leaf Structure: Mesophyll, Stomata, Veins

Captions available

The idea

A leaf's interior mesophyll houses the chloroplasts driving photosynthesis; its epidermis contains stomata, gas-exchange pores flanked by guard cells; and its veins carry vascular tissue.

In practice

Palisade mesophyll's tightly packed cells sit above looser spongy mesophyll, whose air spaces let gases reach the stomata.

Where people slip

Guard cells are the only epidermal cells containing chloroplasts, giving them a photosynthetic role most epidermal cells lack.

Your place on the trail

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