Environmental regulation of stomatal development.

Stomata are microscopic structures in the epidermis of the aerial parts of flowering plants formed by two specialized guard cells flanking a central pore. The role of stomata is to optimize gas exchange (the uptake of carbon dioxide and the loss of water vapor) to suit the prevailing environmental conditions. To do this plants open and close the stomatal pores and regulates the number of stomata that develop on the epidermes. Both these responses are controlled by integrating information from environmental cues and hormonal signals. Recent work has resulted in significant advances in our understanding of the underlying pathway controlling stomatal development. Here we shall discuss how environmental cues might modulate this pathway such that gas exchange is optimized to suit the prevailing environmental conditions. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.