Plant leaves: What exactly is the function of plant leaves?

Plant Leaves

Technically a leaf is defined as a plant organ whose specialty is photosynthesis. Photosynthesis, if you’ll recall your high school biology lessons is the way that a plant converts the sun’s energy into organic compounds as well as into oxygen. Thus, the function is to perform photosynthesis.

Alright, that does not explain it very well. What exactly is the function of leaves? Well, first we already explained that plant leaves make oxygen, which we need in order to remain alive. Plants totally oxygenate our entire world, and without them we would cease to exist.

So you now see that the act of photosynthesis will occur in two different stages. The first stage consists of various light-dependent reactions in order to capture the energy of light and utilize it to make necessary energy-storage molecules. However in the second stage, the light-independent reactions use these products to be capable of capturing and reducing carbon dioxide.

Therefore next is the conversion of the sun’s energy into organic compounds. Carbon dioxide is transformed into sugars in a scientific process that is called carbon fixation. Therefore, next is the conversion of the sun’s energy into organic compounds. What does that mean, exactly?

Organic compounds are in essence, any energy-containing carbohydrates, such as sugars. These include sugars and oils, as well as structural carbohydrates such as cellulose that allows plants to become hard enough to blow in the wind, but not fall over.

Animals as well as human beings need energy-containing carbohydrates. Humans cannot live without plant eating animals, and we receive a lot of our carbohydrates too from various plants. Thus part of the function of plant leaves is to create food.

Plants in general have certain functions but the function of leaves is more heavily capable of giving us what we need in order to live.

Plants are capable of absorbing light primarily through the use of pigment chlorophyll, which is why the majority of plants have that green color. In addition to chlorophyll, plants also utilize pigments called carotenes and xanthophylls.

These are proteins that work together in order to become a light-harvesting complex. The leaves will capture the majority of energy. Surfaces of various leaves are protected from loss of water evaporation and also reduce the heating of the leaf, by a waxy cuticle that is water resistant.

It is transparent so that the leaf may perform the photosynthesis miracle we spoke about earlier. This cuticle is thicker on those leaves that come from dry climates when compared with those leaves emanating from wet climates. As you keep reading, you will more and more understand the function of leaves.

Also, a leaf has very tightly packed, but vertically oriented cells that are elongated. These are one to two cells thick, and they can be found directly underneath the epidermis of the leaf.

The cells are slightly separated which allows the leaf to take optimal advantage of the light, as well as providing for two things: the maximum absorption of carbon dioxide, and further allows for water distribution which is essential to the life of the plant. So now you can understand how the function of plant leaves operates.

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This page listed under Plant Growth Factors