After water has evaporated from the cell surface into the intercellular air space, diffusion is the primary means of any further movement of the water out of the leaf. The waxy cuticle that covers the leaf surface is a very effective barrier to water movement. It has been estimated that only
about 5% of the water lost from leaves escapes through the cuticle. Almost all of the water lost from typical leaves is lost by diffusion of water vapor through the tiny pores of the stomatal apparatus, which are usually most abundant on the lower surface of the leaf.
the cell walls of the mesophyll, where it evaporates into the air spaces within the
leaf. Water vapor then diffuses through the leaf air space, through the stomatal
pore, and across the boundary layer of still air found next to the leaf surface. CO2
diffuses in the opposite direction along its concentration gradient (low inside,
higher outside).
On its way from the leaf to the atmosphere, water is pulled from the xylem into the cell walls of the mesophyll, where it evaporates into the air spaces of the leaf.
The water vapor then exits the leaf through the stomatal pore. Water moves along this pathway predominantly by diffusion, so this water movement is controlled by the concentration gradient of water vapor. We will now examine the driving force for leaf transpiration, the main resistances in the diffusion pathway from the leaf to the atmosphere, and the anatomical features of the leaf that regulate transpiration.