Lab Activity: Plant Transpiration

Complete the following questions about plant transpiration:

 Briefly describe the process of transpiration in vascular plants.

Transpiration is a process that occurs in plant leaves and implies the water loss
through evaporation (Rye et al, 2016). It happens through stomata, which are openings
in the leaves’ surface that allow carbon dioxide entry, specially in the presence of light,
to drive photosynthesis. Stomata open and potassium ions enter the guard cells that
constitutes them, allowing the water to enter down a potential gradient and creating a
hydrostatic pressure that changes the shape of the stoma. This whole process takes
place as plants get water from the soil through its roots and reaches the leaves as it is
transported by the xylem in vascular plants (Sterling, n.d.).

 What environmental factors increase the rate of transpiration?

Light, water, temperature and CO2 concentration within plant leaves are
environmental factors that can influence transpiration through stomata. It occurs
because:

 Even very low levels of light can cause stomata to open, increasing the rates of
transpiration.
 The drier the atmosphere, the larger the driving force for water movement out of
the plant, increasing rates of transpiration.
 Warmer air holds more water, creating a larger need for water movement out of
the plant to cool it out, as it increases the rates of transpiration.
 Wind can increase the rates of transpiration by reducing the width of the
boundary layer that surrounds leaves’ surface (Sterling, n.d.).

 Do any of the environmental factors (heat, light or wind) increase the

transpiration rate more than the others? Why?
Temperature is an environmental factor that holds a great impact on plants’
transpiration rate, as it can condition the driving force for water movement out of a plant.
The water holding capacity of air is directly proportional to temperature so, when it
increases, so does the ability of a certain environment to hold water. That being said,
warmer temperatures can increase the driving force for transpiration, to cool the plant
leaves’, and cooler ones can decrease it. However, high temperatures may also signal
stomata to close when there is not enough water available (Sterling, n.d.).

 Why do you think different species of plants transpire at different rates?

 Plants characteristics and environmental conditions can affect transpiration rates.
Therefore, different species may have specific transpiration rates due to their
adaptations to the environment where they are found. The transpiration rate of cacti will
not be the same as for pines, as these species live in very distinct habitats, have
different needs, and have adapted to these specific conditions.

 Suppose you coated the leaves of a plant with petroleum jelly. How would the
plant’s rate of transpiration be affected?
The petroleum jelly would function as a waxy later or cuticle, which would act as a
hydrophobic physical barrier to the plant water loss. Therefore, the transpiration rate will
be slower than usual, also depending on the thickness of this layer.

 Of what value to a plant is the ability to lose water through transpiration?

Transpiration allows plants to cool by evaporating water, but also contributes to

nutrient uptake and carbon dioxide entry, which is necessary for photosynthesis. The
latter one is the process by which plants use photons, water, and CO2 to produce
carbohydrates and oxygen, essential to other living organisms, specifically for those
aerobic and heterotroph individuals (Sterling, n.d. & Rye et al, 2016).
Now answer the following multiple-choice questions relating to this exercise:

 Transpiration in plants is driven by:

B) Capillary action

 Stomata:

B) permit the intake of carbon dioxide

 Water can be lost by a plant through which process(es)?

D) Transpiration and Evaporation

 In your research, transpiration was observed by:

C) Directly measuring the amount of water absorbed through the plant sprig’s
stem

 Wind did not have the greatest effect on transpiration rate in which plant type?

B) Geranium

 Colder temperatures cause stomata to remain closed. Based on this information,

if a plant were grown below 21°C would you expect transpiration rates to:
A) Decrease
  Wind appeared to increase the rate of transpiration in most plants tested. This is
most likely due to the fact that:
D) Humidity was increased, evaporation was increased, stomata were forced to
close

 Cacti grow in arid regions such as deserts. Compared to other plants,

transpiration in cacti would most likely be:
A) Lower
References
Rye, C., Wise, R., Jurukivski, V., DeSaix, J., Choi, J., & Avissar, Y. (2016). Biology.

OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/biology/pages/1-introduction

Sterling, T. (n.d). Transpiration - Water movement through plants. Plant and Soil

Sciences eLibrary. Retrieved from

https://passel.unl.edu/pages/informationmodule.php?

idinformationmodule=1092853841&topicorder=6