why do many plants have leaves?

Question

what happens on the top of a leaf? the bottom?

what happens on the top of a leaf? the bottom? what happens in the mesophyll of a ce leaf?

what happens on the top of a leaf? the bottom? what happens in the mesophyll of a c3 leaf?

Answer 1

A leaf is a photosynthesis factory. The whole leaf is set up so it can produce as much glucose in photosynthesis as it can.
Photosynthesis requires Sunlight Energy plus water and carbon dioxide
1. The flat, blade like structure gets as much sunlight as it can. The cells (palasade) near the top are tightly fitted together and filled with chloroplasts that collect the sunlight. The next layer down the mesophyll (meso=middle, phyll=leaf) also contains a few chloroplasts.

2. The "vein" system of the plant brings the water from the roots to the leaves (via the veins that we see on the leaf for the last part of the journey and it also takes away the glucose to transport it around the plant to whereever it is needed)

3. The carbon dioxide enters the plant via the stomata(holes mainly found on the underside of the leaves). The cells in the middle and bottom layers of the leaf are filled with gaps so the carbon dioxide gas (and oxygen as well for when it leaves the the leaves!) can easily move to the palasade cells (and mesophyll) with the chloroplasts.
When all the components for photosythesis are present it takes place and produces glucose (and the waste produces oxygen and water).

Answer 2

Plants have leaves mainly to make food for the plant through photosynthesis.

The mesophyll is made of the cells inside the leaf that contain chloroplasts. Dicot leaves have two kinds of mesophyll: spongy and palisade. Monocot leaves have one kind of mesophyll: spongy.

The upper surface of a dicot leaf is usually the place where the sunlight strikes the leaf and is absorbed. Usually the upper surface has a waxy cuticle and no stomata or very few stomata. The lower surface of a dicot leaf is the place where gases are exchanged through the many tiny holes called stomata.

Answer 3

leaves are where photosynthesis takes place. Kind of like why humans have lungs. Cellular respiration takes place, as well as sugar conversion