Alwhysee,Ridha

6th hr AP BIO
Mrs. Horne

LAB 9: TRANSPIRATION
Introduction
(a)BACKGOUND INFO: Transpiration is the evaporation of water into the atmosphere from the
leaves and stems of plants. Plants absorb water from the soil through their roots and this water can originate
from deep in the soil. Plants pump the water up from the soil to deliver nutrients to their leaves. This pumping
is driven by the evaporation of water through small pores called "stomata’s", which are found on the
undersides of leaves. The transport of water is controlled by water potential. Water will always move from an
area of high water potential to an area with low water potential.
The basic plant tissues include the epidermis of the plant, parenchyma, sclerenchyma, collenchyma,
and its conducting tissues, the xylem and phloem.
A parenchyma cell is the most common type of plant cell. It stores starch, oils, and water for the plant.
You can find parenchyma cells throughout a plant. These cells have thin walls and large water-filled vacuoles
in the middle. Photosynthesis occurs in green chloroplasts within parenchyma cells in leaves. Both
chloroplasts and colorless plastids in parenchyma cells within roots and stems store starch. The flesh of many
fruits we eat is also made of parenchyma cells. Parenchyma cells are sometimes thought of as the least
specialized of plant cells, but they have one very special trait, the ability to divide throughout their entire lives.
Sclerenchyma cells are the strongest of the three and this is a result of the cell a second cell wall
which is hardened by lignin, making these cells very durable and tough. Numerous amounts of sclerenchyma
cells die when they reach maturity. Sclerenchyma cells actually form a major part of fruit pits and also the hard
outer shell of nuts. These cells can also be found in stems and leaf veins. Sclerenchyma cells are responsible
for the gritty texture of pears.
Collenchyma cell is a plant cell which has cell walls that range from thin to thick, providing support
while still allowing the plant to grow. These cells are most common in the younger tissues of leaves and
shoots. They often form into strands. A unique feature of collenchyma cells is that they are flexible. Their cell
walls don't contain lignin, so they are stretchy and can change size.

(b) PURPOSE: In this lab you will measure transpiration under various laboratory conditions using a
photometer.

(c) HYPOTHESIS: Through transpiration if a plant is affected by either heat/temperature or wind,

then it will lose a larger amount of water due environmental conditions.

Materials & Procedures

9A: Materials used for Part A include: Bean plant,.1-ml pipit with .01 divisions,40 cm length of
plastic tubing sealant,1 shallow container with water,1 ring stand,1 1-ml plastic pipette,1 metric
ruler,2 clamps, scissors or razor blade, and paper towel.

9A: Procedure: The tip of the pipette was placed in the plastic tubing and they were placed underwater
in a tray of water. Water was drawn into pipette and tubing until no bubbles were left. The plant stem
was cut underwater and inserted into the plastic tubing. Heated wax was immediately placed around the
tube edging to form and airtight steal around the stem. The tubing was bent into a “U” shape and two
clamps were used on the ring stand to hold the photometer in place. The photometer was allowed to
record data for ten minutes.
There was three variables heat, wind, and humidity but our plant was exposed to heat. The time
zero was recorded and then consistently recorded every 3 minutes for 30 minutes total. After the data
was complete, all the leaves were cut off the plant and weighted by cutting a one cm2 box and massing
it.
Results/Data Collection/Analysis
Data 1:

Time Control High Temperature and Light High Wind High Humidity
0 0 0 0 0
3 0.01 0.3 0 0
6 0.02 0.6 0.1 0
9 0.03 0.9 0.15 0
12 0.04 1.2 0.2 0
15 0.05 2.6 0.25 0.02
18 0.06 2.9 0.3 0.02
21 0.08 3.3 0.305 0.03
24 0.08 3.6 0.31 0.04
27 0.10 3.8 0.32 0.04
30 0.10 4.0 0.33 0.04

Data 2:

Time Control High Temperature and Light High Wind High Humidity
0 0 0 0 0
3 0.65 48.4 0 0
6 1.30 96.8 11.8 0
9 1.95 145.2 17.6 0
12 2.60 193.5 23.5 0
15 3.25 419.4 29.4 4.3
18 3.90 467.7 35.3 4.3
21 5.19 532.3 36.2 6.4
24 5.19 580.6 36.5 8.5
27 6.49 612.9 37.6 8.5
30 6.49 645.2 38.8 8.5

1. Mass of all leaves from stem = 0.85 g

2. Mass of 1 cm2 leaf section = 0.01 g/cm2
3. Line 2 x 10,000 (to convert to mass in g/m2) = 100 g/m2
4. Divide line 1 by line 3 = 0.0085 m2 (total surface area of the plant)