Question

Choose the most appropriate answer: Scotoactive stomata occur in________.

• A. Mesophytes
• B. Hydrophytes
• C. Succulent Xerophytes
• D. All of these

Answer 1

The correct option is C

Succulent Xerophytes

The correct option is C.

Explanation of the correct option:

1. Stomata that open at night and close during the day are called scotoactive stomata.
2. It is a characteristic of plants adapted to live in harsh environments.
3. Scotoactive stomata are found in succulent xerophytes.

Explanation of the incorrect options:

Option A:

1. Mesophytes are terrestrial plants growing in a normal habitat with enough water for survival and moderate temperature.
2. Their habitats are not extreme i.e dry as in xerophytes or wet as in hydrophytes. E.g. wheat, Mangifera indica.
3. In mesophytic plants, stomata can be observed on both the upper and lower surfaces of leaves.
4. In monocots, they are equally distributed on both sides as in grasses.
5. But in dicot leaves, the number of stomata on the upper surface is usually smaller, even absent in some cases. E.g. Apple, Mulberry.

Option B:

1. Hydrophytes are the plants that are adapted to live in aquatic habitats such as ponds, rivers, or oceans. E.g. water lily, Pistia.
2. They have little or no root system. Leaves are large and floating due to the presence of air vacuoles in their epidermis to maintain buoyancy.
3. Stomata, if present, lie on the exposed aerial parts of the plants.

Final answer: Scotoactive stomata occur in succulent xerophytes.