Question

What are the precautions to be taken while preparing the mount of leaf peel for stomata?

Answer 1

Stomata are tiny pores located on the epidermis of leaves. They are present in more numbers on the outer surface. Each stoma is surrounded by a pair of bean-shaped guard cells. Inner walls of guard cells are thicker than the outer and contain a nucleus, cytoplasm and many chloroplasts. Guard cells are surrounded by the thin layer of epidermis cells.

Complete answer:
Stomata help in the exchange of gases between cells of leaves and the atmosphere during respiration and photosynthesis. They also help in transpiration. When guard cells lose water due to either high temperature and strong wind in the atmosphere they shrink and cause the stomatal pore to close while when guard cells lose water due to either temperature and strong wind in the atmosphere they shrink and cause the stomatal pore to close.

When we perform an experiment of preparing the mount of leaf peel for stomata or to show stomata the following precautions should be taken –
- Avoid too much folding of a leaf.
- Always hold the slide from the sides and place a peel at the centre of the slide.
- The peel should neither be overstrained nor under strained.
- Always handle the peel with the help of a brush to avoid damaging the cells.
- To prevent the peel from drying we can use glycerin.
- To avoid air bubbles we should use coverslip in the right manner.
- For removing excess stains we can use blotting paper.

Note: We need to prepare to mount because it protects the coated materials during preparation and also enables handling of small, sharped, etc. more easy and convenient. By this, the preparation result also improves and the surface becomes free from any contaminants.