Click on the gray image here left to load the virtual FESEM or
open a new window. The FESEM simulator works with Java. If the required Java (TM) plug-in 1.3 is not installed yet on your computer, you will be automatically redirected to Sun Microsystems, Inc. Follow the (simple) step-by-step instructions to download the free plug-in. After completion of the installation procedure the virtual FESEM will be launched automatically.
Hairs and guard cells with stomata at the surface of leaves
Overview image: This view shows a portion of epidermis at the abaxial side (lower part) of a leaf of Coleus sp. The epidermis has been painted in yellow, the guard cells in (1) pink and the leaf hairs (2) in purple. Leaf hairs contribute to buid a kind of microclimate at the leaf surface. they also render the leaf less attractive for parasites. The epidermis of land plants is rather impermeable and offers protection against dessication and other nuisable factors. These organisms possess stomata (splits, indicated by pointers) in order to achieve exchange of photosynthesis gasses between the intern parts of the leaf and the environment.
Each pair of guard cells controls the opening and closing movement of a single stoma by means of turgor pressure. This mechanism depends on a variety of factors such as the light conditions, the temperature, the relative humidity and the CO2-concentration.
