plants require O₂ for respiration?

Yes, plants require O₂ for respiration to occur and they also give out CO₂. Hence, plants have systems in place that ensure the availability of O₂. Plants, unlike animals, have no specialized organs for gaseous exchange but they have stomata and lenticels for this purpose. There are several reasons why plants can get along without respiratory organs. First, each plant part takes care of its own gas-exchange needs. There is very little transport of gases from one plant part to another. Second, plants do not present great demands for gas exchange. Roots, stems and leaves respire at rates far lower than animals do. Only during photosynthesis are large volumes of gases exchanged and, each leaf is well adapted to take care of its own needs during these periods. When cells photosynthesize, availability of O₂ is not a problem in these cells since O₂ is released within the cell