Breathing Room

摘要

Stomata, which provide pores for gas exchange, are usually evenly distributed across the surface of the plant leaf epidermis. Robinson ef al. (p. 1436) present a model that reveals a limited number of cellular parameters that guide the development of stomata in young Arabidopsis leaves. The size of the cell when it initiated division, the symmetry, or lack thereof, shown by the division plane, and the orientation of the new cell wall relative to previous cell walls, are all features that determine the layout of the tissue. These interactions culminate in each stomata being surrounded by cells of the same lineage and having enough room to open and close.