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Review

Guardians of Water and Gas Exchange: Adaptive Dynamics of Stomatal Development and Patterning

by
Eleni Giannoutsou
,
Ioannis-Dimosthenis S. Adamakis
and
Despina Samakovli
*
Section of Botany, Biology Department, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15701 Athens, Greece
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Plants 2025, 14(15), 2405; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14152405 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 30 June 2025 / Revised: 28 July 2025 / Accepted: 30 July 2025 / Published: 3 August 2025

Abstract

Stomata, highly specialized structures that evolved on the aerial surfaces of plants, play a crucial role in regulating hydration, mitigating the effects of abiotic stress. Stomatal lineage development involves a series of coordinated events, such as initiation, stem cell proliferation, and cell fate determination, ultimately leading to the differentiation of guard cells. While core transcriptional regulators and signaling pathways controlling stomatal cell division and fate determination have been characterized over the past twenty years, the molecular mechanisms linking stomatal development to dynamic environmental cues remain poorly understood. Therefore, stomatal development is considered an active and compelling frontier in plant biology research. On the one hand, this review aims to provide an understanding of the molecular networks governing stomatal ontogenesis, which relies on the activation and function of the transcription factors SPEECHLESS (SPCH), MUTE, and FAMA; the EPF–TMM and ERECTA receptor systems; and downstream MAPK signaling. On the other hand, it synthesizes current discoveries of how hormonal signaling pathways regulate stomatal development in response to environmental changes. As the climate crisis intensifies, the understanding of the complex interplay between stress stimuli and key factors regulating stomatal development may reveal key mechanisms that enhance plant resilience under adverse environmental conditions.
Keywords: stomatal development; stomatal differentiation; stomatal lineage; stomatal patterning; hormonal control; abiotic stress stomatal development; stomatal differentiation; stomatal lineage; stomatal patterning; hormonal control; abiotic stress

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Giannoutsou, E.; Adamakis, I.-D.S.; Samakovli, D. Guardians of Water and Gas Exchange: Adaptive Dynamics of Stomatal Development and Patterning. Plants 2025, 14, 2405. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14152405

AMA Style

Giannoutsou E, Adamakis I-DS, Samakovli D. Guardians of Water and Gas Exchange: Adaptive Dynamics of Stomatal Development and Patterning. Plants. 2025; 14(15):2405. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14152405

Chicago/Turabian Style

Giannoutsou, Eleni, Ioannis-Dimosthenis S. Adamakis, and Despina Samakovli. 2025. "Guardians of Water and Gas Exchange: Adaptive Dynamics of Stomatal Development and Patterning" Plants 14, no. 15: 2405. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14152405

APA Style

Giannoutsou, E., Adamakis, I.-D. S., & Samakovli, D. (2025). Guardians of Water and Gas Exchange: Adaptive Dynamics of Stomatal Development and Patterning. Plants, 14(15), 2405. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14152405

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