HD is called an autosomal dominant disorder because only one copy of the defective gene, inherited from one parent, is necessary to produce the disease. The genetic defect responsible for HD is a small sequence of DNA on chromosome 4 in which several base pairs are repeated many, many times.
Carbon dioxide cannot pass through the protective waxy layer covering the leaf (cuticle), but it can enter the leaf through an opening (the stoma; plural = stomata; Greek for hole) flanked by two guard cells. Likewise, oxygen produced during photosynthesis can only pass out of the leaf through the opened stomata.
Photosynthesis is the process by which plants convert sunlight into usable energy. During photosynthesis, carbon dioxide is taken in from the atmosphere through the stomata and oxygen is released as a waste product. Both photosynthesis and the gas exchange that powers it are essential to the plant's survival.