Stomata regulate gas exchange through the aerial plant epidermis by controlling the width of a pore bordered by two guard cells. Little is known about the genes that regulate stomatal development. We screened cotyledons from ethyl methanesulfonate-mutagenized seeds of Arabidopsis by light microscopy to identify mutants with altered stomatal morphology. Two mutants, designated too many mouths (t...

Much of atmospheric water originates from transpiration, the process by which plants release H2O from pores, known as stomata, that simultaneously intake CO2 for photosynthesis. Controlling stomatal aperture can regulate the extent of water transport in response to dynamic environmental factors including osmotic stress, temperature, light, and wind. While larger leaf regions are often examined,...

The stomata of the fern Adiantum capillus-veneris lack a blue light-specific opening response but open in response to red light. We investigated this light response of Adiantum stomata and found that the light wavelength dependence of stomatal opening matched that of photosynthesis. The simultaneous application of red (2 micromol m(-2) s(-1)) and far-red (50 micromol m(-2) s(-1)) light synergis...

Plants developed under constant high (> 85%) relative air humidity (RH) have larger stomata that are unable to close completely. One of the hypotheses for the less responsive stomata is that the plants have reduced sensitivity to abscisic acid (ABA). Both ABA and darkness are signals for stomatal closure and induce the production of the secondary messenger hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). In this stud...

Stomata are specialized cellular structures in the epidermis of aerial plant organs that control gas exchange (H(2)O release and CO(2) uptake) between leaves and the atmosphere by modulating the aperture of a pore flanked by two guard cells. Stomata are nonrandomly distributed, and their density is controlled by endogenous and environmental factors. To gain insight into the molecular mechanisms...

Seven different inhibitors of the synthesis of protein and RNA, all of which are found to delay the senescence of detached oat leaves in darkness, also cause the opening of the stomata in the dark. The concentration ranges for activity on the two processes agree closely. Four other compounds of similar effects on RNA and protein synthesis, but which are inactive on senescence, correspondingly f...