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Palisade cells are a type of leaf tissues and can be found within the mesophyll in leaves of dicotyledonous plants. They contain chloroplasts, which convert the energy stored in photons to chemical energy through photosynthesis.
Palisade cells show various adaptations: first, their cylindrical shape, which allows maximum absorption of light by chloroplasts. Second, these cells produce carbohydrates in greater quantities than are needed by each cell; these carbohydrates are fed into a wide variety of metabolic pathways and are vital to the functioning of the plant. Third, the palisade mesophyll contains the largest number of chloroplasts per cell in the plant; usually positioned towards the upper surface of the leaf in order to harness the greatest amount of energy possible.
Palisade cells are placed all over the top of a leaf, maximising the extent of light absorption. As a result, the top of a leaf is often darker than the bottom.
Palisade cells are grouped together to give the palisade layer of the leaf- this is the leaf tissue where most of the photosynthesis takes place.
Light absorption and photosynthesis is carried out by the chlorophyll chloroplasts, and it is these that give leaves a green pigment. The cell wall helps the cell keep its shape, and the membrane lets certain substances in and out while being permeable to water. All the deoxyrybonucleic acic (DNA) and genetic information of the cell is stored in the nucleus. It is the 'brain' or control centre of the cell, and (in simple terms) tells the cell what to do. In the cytoplasm chemical reactions take place, including the breaking down of glycogen, the cell's food.
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- This page was last modified on 2 December 2008, at 03:55.
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