Question

Why are stomata useful to plants what is the role of potassium ions in the opening and closing of stomata?

Answer 1

Photosynthesis is the process by which plants convert sunlight into usable energy. During photosynthesis, carbon dioxide is taken in from the atmosphere through the stomata and oxygen is released as a waste product. ... This process of plant water loss is called transpiration.

Guard cells are cells surrounding each stoma. They help to regulate the rate of transpiration by opening and closing the stomata. To understand how they function, study the following figures. As you look at the figures, keep in mind that an increase in solute concentration lowers the water potential of the solution, and that water moves from a region with higher water potential to a region of lower water potential.

Notice that in figure A the guard cells are turgid, or swollen, and the stomatal opening is large. This turgidity is caused by the accumulation of K+ (potassium ions) in the guard cells. As K+ levels increase in the guard cells, the water potential of the guard cells drops, and water enters the guard cells.

In figure B, the guard cells have lost water, which causes the cells to become flaccid and the stomatal opening to close. This may occur when the plant has lost an excessive amount of water. In addition, it generally occurs daily as light levels drop and the use of CO2 in photosynthesis decreases

Answer 2

The opening and closing of the pore is a function of the guard cells. The guard cells swell when water flows into them, causing the stomatal pore to open. Simillarly the pore closes if the guard cells shrink