The stomatal pore is guarded by two kidney-shaped guard cells. Name the epidermal cells surrounding the guard cells. How does a guard cell differ from an epidermal cell? Use a diagram to illustrate your answer.
Ans. The epidermal cells surrounding the guard cells are called subsidiary cells. Following are the differences between guard cells and epidermal cells.
Guard Cells |
Epidermal Cells |
(i) Guard cells are bean or kidney-shaped. |
(i) Epidermal are barrel-shaped. |
(ii) Chloroplast is present in guard cells. |
(ii) Epidermal cells lack chloroplast. |
(iii) Guard cells are smaller. |
(iii) Epidermal cells are bigger. |
(iv) Thick and non-uniform cell walls are present in guard cells. |
(iv) Thin and uniform cell walls are present in epidermal cells. |