Mesophyll

Mesophyll is a type of tissue found in plant leaves. It is located between the upper and lower layers of the leaf. The mesophyll is made up of two types of tissues: the palisade mesophyll and the spongy mesophyll. Both of these tissues are involved in the process of photosynthesis, which is the process by which plants convert light energy into chemical energy.

Structure

The mesophyll is typically divided into two different types of material: palisade and spongy mesophyll. The palisade mesophyll consists of elongated cells located just below the epidermal layer. These cells are closely packed together and are responsible for most of the photosynthesis in the leaf.

The spongy mesophyll, on the other hand, is located below the palisade mesophyll and is made up of loosely packed, irregularly shaped cells. These cells have large air spaces between them, which allow for the exchange of gases necessary for photosynthesis.

Function

The primary function of the mesophyll is to carry out photosynthesis. The cells in the palisade mesophyll contain many more chloroplasts than the spongy mesophyll, making them the primary site of photosynthesis in the leaf. The spongy mesophyll, while also involved in photosynthesis, is primarily involved in the exchange of gases between the leaf and the surrounding environment.

See also

• Leaf
• Photosynthesis
• Chloroplast
• Epidermis

Mesophyll Resources
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References

External links

• Britannica: Mesophyll
• Nature: Cell Structure

Further reading

• Taiz, Lincoln; Zeiger, Eduardo (2002). Plant Physiology (3rd ed.). Sunderland, Mass: Sinauer Associates. ISBN 0-87893-823-0.
• Raven, Peter H.; Evert, Ray F.; Eichhorn, Susan E. (2005). Biology of Plants (7th ed.). New York: W.H. Freeman and Company Publishers. ISBN 0-7167-1007-2.