How Plants Breathe Underwater
By: EjazUlHaqBhat
Image: Pexels
Underwater plants utilise a combination of adaptations to facilitate gas exchange in the aquatic environment
Image: Pexels
They absorb oxygen and release carbon dioxide directly from the water, using structures like specialised stems, gas films, and aerenchyma
Image: Pexels
While aquatic plants can have stomata, they are often adapted for a submerged lifestyle
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Some plants have permanently open stomata or those only on the upper surface of leaves
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Some plants use aerenchyma, a tissue, which acts like a snorkel, transporting gases between submerged and exposed parts of the plant
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Some have gas films, thin layers of gas bubbles, which facilitate gas exchange and improve underwater photosynthesis and respiration
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Some underwater plants have stems that allow CO2 (carbon dioxide) exchange between leaves and the water
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Many aquatic plants lack or have thin cuticles, which are waxy layers that can impede gas exchange in terrestrial plants
Image: Pexels
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