The epidermis is an ectodermal tissue.
The epidermis is the ectodermal tissue that covers the body surface of animal species and differently from plants. In vertebrates , this epithelium is formed by successive layers of cells that overlap, while invertebrates are covered by a single layer.
In humans and other vertebrate species, the epidermis is the superficial layer of the skin . This is the largest organ , weighing approximately 5 kilograms in homo sapiens and a thickness that fluctuates between 0.5 and 4 millimeters.
Epidermis and skin
The skin is a protection that preserves the body from external agents and that determines the structure of the so-called skin annexes , such as hair and nails. Skin diseases are known as dermatitis and are treated by dermatology . Acne and psoriasis are some of the most common skin disorders.
Keratin is the main component of the epidermis. Melanin , for its part, is the pigment that gives color to the skin. It is possible to distinguish various strata in the epidermis, such as the germinative, the spinous, the granular, the lucid, the horny and the disjunct.
A plant membrane
In the field of flora , the epidermis is a membrane or tissue formed by a layer of cells that are joined together; it is found in the stems , leaves and roots of all young plants. In some cases they are reinforced on the outside with lipid-type materials, forming cutin, an absolutely waterproof layer.
The function of the plant epidermis is to protect the plant from the aggression of those external agents that could damage it, prevent it from drying out (limiting transpiration, specifying gas exchange with the environment and secreting certain substances to preserve it from the effects of sun and climate) and act as support; In the root areas, it is what makes the absorption of minerals and water possible.
The plant epidermis is found in the roots, stems and leaves.
Problems affecting the epidermis of plants
Since prehistoric times, living beings have been affected by various diseases , but in the case of plants, above all they have become a consequence of the presence of man as a farmer and the transformation of the land and the agents involved in plant life. Furthermore, with the insertion of varieties of exotic plants in the various regions, pests and diseases also arrived with them and when the balance in natural environments was broken, these have proliferated at an accelerated rate.
As certain studies have determined, between 10% and 20% of the total crop in the world is lost due to disease in the epidermis.
There are two large groups of pests that affect the epidermis of plants , the parasitic ones , caused by contact with animals, other plants or certain environmental viruses, and the non-parasitic ones , caused by physiological issues caused by meteorological accidents or the shortage of certain essential nutrients for the life of the species.
The living beings that most affect the epidermis of plants are insects. Depending on the plant species, there are various living beings that threaten its life.
Among mammals, the most dangerous are rodents and insectivores, not only because they feed on vegetables and are capable of destroying entire fields of crops, but because they dig tunnels in the ground, severing the roots of plants .
Another dangerous species is nematodes , which are microscopic worms that feed on the leaves and stems of plants. They are difficult to detect given their size, but the damage they cause to plants in many cases is extreme.