EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -Aquatic plants have stomata on the upper side or upper epidermis of the leaves except for submerged plants. This type of permanently opened stomata is present in floating and emergent plants like water hyacinth, duckweed, water primrose, bog moss etc.

Detailed explanation-2: -Unsurprisingly, floating plants usually have epistomatous leaves (in which only the upper surface has stomata). Therefore, gas exchange occurs mainly from the adaxial leaf surface. Often aquatic plants have non-functional i.e., permanently open stomata that cannot regulate water loss.

Detailed explanation-3: -Hint: Aquatic plants float on the surface of the water and therefore stomata are not organized in the lower epidermis. Stomata are established on the upper epidermis due to the direct trade of gases between the leaf and the atmosphere.

Detailed explanation-4: -Floating-leaf plants are rooted in the lake bottom, but their leaves and flowers float on the water surface. Water lilies are a well-known example. Floating leaf plants typically grow in protected areas where there is little wave action.

Detailed explanation-5: -Stomata can be distributed in the following ways on the two sides of a leaf: An amphistomatous leaf has stomata on both surfaces. Most plants have such a distribution. A hypostomatous leaf has stomata only on the lower surface.