Cuticle Of The Leaf: Function & Concept

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  • 0:01 The Move to Life on Land
  • 0:30 The Cuticle and the Stomata
  • 2:13 Additional Benefits of…
  • 3:01 Lesson Summary
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Lesson Transcript
Instructor: Joanne Abramson

Joanne has taught middle school and high school science for more than ten years and has a master's degree in education.

We'll explore one of the adaptations that allowed plants to venture from the water onto dry land. Learn about the function of the cuticle, then test your knowledge with a short quiz.

The Move to Life on Land

Many hundreds of millions of years ago, plants started to leave the confines of water and colonize land. One of the very first hurdles they had to conquer was how they were going to prevent drying out. Some did this by staying only in damp environments., but others were more adventurous and wanted to venture further inland. These plants needed some adaptations to help them conserve water. One of these adaptations was the cuticle.

The Cuticle and the Stomata

The cuticle is a waxy, water-repellent layer that covers all of the above-ground areas of a plant. It is secreted by the epidermis, the outer layer of the plant, and covers up any holes or chinks between the cells. This waxy layer keeps all of the plant's valuable water inside where it belongs.

However, while the cuticle closes up any areas where the plant could lose water, it also closes up any place that allows the plant to breathe. Remember, plants are the reverse of us; they take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Plants rectified this problem through the creation of pores in the leaf called stomata.

The stomata are bordered by a pair of cells called guard cells, which regulate, or guard, the stomata openings. When there is a lot of water available, the guard cells are wide open, allowing the free exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen between the plant and the environment. However, when water is scarce, the plant loses too much water through transpiration. This is a specific type of evaporation - the evaporation of water from the open stomata in plants; the fact that this process has its own term should be an indication of how significant it is to plants. In this case, the guard cells shut, closing off the stomata.

For example, in the desert where rain is scarce and the sun is hot, plants have to take water loss very seriously. Cacti and other nocturnal plants, such as agave, have especially thick cuticles to help stop water loss, but they also don't open their stomata at all during the day. All gas exchange occurs overnight when the heat and sun cannot cause them to lose their precious water.

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