Leaves play a crucial role in plant excretion by facilitating the removal of excess water, carbon dioxide, and oxygen through processes like transpiration and photosynthesis. They also store waste products in vacuoles and shed them when the leaves fall off.
Here’s a more detailed explanation:
Water Excretion:
Leaves have tiny pores called stomata, which allow for the exchange of gases and water vapor. Through transpiration, excess water evaporates from the leaves, carrying with it dissolved minerals and other metabolic products.
Gas Exchange:
During photosynthesis, leaves take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen through the stomata. Carbon dioxide is a waste product of respiration and is also released through the stomata.
Waste Storage and Shedding:
Plants store waste materials in vacuoles within leaf cells. When leaves mature and fall, these waste products are shed along with the leaves.
Guttation:
In some cases, excess water may be excreted as droplets from the leaf edges, a process called guttation.
Lenticels:
Similar to stomata, lenticels are small openings in the stems and branches of plants that also facilitate gas exchange and excretion of waste products.