Scientists find the job of a mystery plant gate
Scientists in Japan have solved a plant puzzle that was 30 years old. They found out what a small "gate" in plants does.
How plant bodies work
Science
Grade 6
Water travels through a plant along paths in its roots, stem, and leaves. Water taken up by the roots is carried through the whole plant, and most of it leaves through tiny holes in the leaves as water vapor. This is called transpiration. When sunlight falls on a leaf, starch is made inside it, which you can show by comparing a leaf left in the sun with one kept in the dark, using iodine solution. While the sun shines, a plant takes in carbon dioxide and gives out oxygen. Making starch with sunlight and trading these gases is called photosynthesis.