Adaptations of leaves

• Leaf feature: Large surface area

  Gas exchange: large number of stomata

  Photosynthesis: capture maximum light energy
• Leaf feature: Thin

  Gas exchange: short diffusion pathway

  Photosynthesis: light penetrates through the leaf to chloroplasts
• Leaf feature: Transparent cuticle and upper epidermis

  Gas exchange: N/A

  Photosynthesis: light passes through to the palisade mesophyll
• Leaf feature: Palisade cells elongated and packed full of moving chloroplasts

  Gas exchange: N/A

  Photosynthesis: maximise light absorption for photosynthesis
• Leaf feature: Air space

  Gas exchange: allow free diffusion of gases between stomata and cells

  Photosynthesis: allow CO2 to diffuse to photosynthesising cells
• Leaf feature: Stomata

  Gas exchange: permeable to CO2 and O2, site of transpiration

  Photosynthesis: allow CO2 into the leaf