Given below are two statements: one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other is labelled as Reason (R). Assertion (A): In a dorsiventral leaf, the adaxial epidermis generally bears fewer stomata than the abaxial epidermis, or may even lack stomata. Reason (R): The mesophyll of a dorsiventral leaf is differentiated into adaxially placed palisade parenchyma and abaxially placed spongy parenchyma. In the light of the

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Assertion (A) is true. In a dorsiventral (dicotyledonous) leaf, the upper (adaxial) epidermis is directly exposed to sunlight. To minimize water loss through transpiration, it generally bears fewer stomata than the lower (abaxial) epidermis, and may even lack them entirely. Reason (R) is also true. The mesophyll in dicot leaves is differentiated into an upper (adaxial) palisade parenchyma made of elongated cells and a lower (abaxial) spongy parenchyma made of loosely arranged cells. However, Reason (R) is not the c