This graph was created to compare stomatal densities between English ivy (Hedera helix) leaves grown in the sun versus those grown in the shade. The boxplot shows that ivy plants growing in the sun have nearly twice the density of stomata in their leaves (208.9 ∓ 24.3) than those growing in the shade (127.6 ∓ 13.2). Stomata are tiny, incredible pores that open and close to “exhale” carbon dioxide and “inhale” oxygen. Stomata are essential assistants in the process of photosynthesis, during which a plant turns solar energy to food. We hypothesized that ivy leaves growing in the sun have more stomata to maximize the ability of the plant to photosynthesize. This graph helped us examine our hypothesis using data from ivy leaves collected from both the shade and the sun on campus. We manually counted the number of stomata under a microscope and calculated the average stomatal density of each leaf.

  • Project By Alex Olsen, Maya Leib-Perry, Alexandra Macdonald
  • Department Biology
  • Semester Spring, 2020