Project Details
Goal/Purpose:
I started this project with the goal of being able to differentiate tree species. I also wanted to learn how trees function on the microscopic level which requires me to look at leaf stomata.
You can contribute by testing different trees with this procedure, and recording your findings.
Location:
The location for this project could be anywhere, really. Keep in mind that other factors contribute to stomatal density, so the locations should be relatively near one another such as a park.
My group has been collecting data around the Peggy Notebaert Museum, Chicago IL.
Project Summary:
This project involves leaf stomata in Honey Locust trees and how tree circumference/age affects stomatal count at the 400x magnification. This project also involves taking live plant matter and converting it into slides using nail polish and tape. The intent of this project is to learn specifically about how stomata works and the factors that affect its density. For this project, I narrowed down on tree age as a factor. You can contribute to this project by testing your own factor such as carbon levels, temperature, water, etc. Or use the same factor, tree age, but using leaves from a different tree.
Leaf stomata exists to exchange gas in plants. They are microscopic pores that open and close so that CO2 can enter and water and oxygen can escape. They are sensitive to environmental factors such as temperature, CO2 amount, water amount, etc. Plants can also control this system by controlling the opening and closing of stomata. For example, in desert plants, stomata usually opens during the night when the temperature is cooler to preserve the amount of water. The more stomata per unit area, the more CO2 can be taken up, and the more water can be released.
Source: http://www.esa.org/tiee/vol/v1/experiments/stomata/stomata_description.html