Plant Transpiration
Plant Transpiration - Related Videos
03:58
Transpiration - Concepts
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2019
Background All living organisms must carry out a set of basic functions in order to maintain themselves. One of these processes involves the transportation of materials throughout the organism. Therefore, organisms need to exchange materials with the environment, which can be seen on the small scale of cells transporting protein and other materials among one another or on a larger scale such as the water cycle, where water is continuously moving on, above, and below the surface of Earth. In...
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Transpiration - Student Protocol
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2019
Comparing Transpiration Rates of Leaves ExpandTo begin the experiment to measure the transpiration rates of leaves from different plant species, you will first create a tool called a potometer, using a piece of plastic tubing and 5 mL calibrated pipette. To assemble the device, simply attach the rubber tubing to the tip of the pipette. Then, submerge the device into a bucket of water and move the pipette around under the water to fully fill the tube, taking care not to create bubbles. Next, cap...
01:10
Transpiration - Instructor Prep
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2019
Comparing Transpiration Rates of Leaves ExpandBefore beginning the experiments, gather leaves from four plant species that represent different ecological strategies, so that you have enough for one set of leaves per student. NOTE: If leaf-bearing plants are not available locally, an alternative is to grow the plant species of interest in the laboratory, or to purchase plants from a gardening store. Next, cut lengths of rubber tubing to make roughly 50 cm sections and place one piece alongside a...
07:08
Identification of Novel Regulators of Plant Transpiration by Large-Scale Thermal Imaging Screening in Helianthus Annuus
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Cited by 1 •
2020
We provide a method for identifying modulators of foliar transpiration by large-scale screening of a compound library.
02:19
Regulation of Transpiration by Stomata
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2026
During photosynthesis, plants acquire the necessary carbon dioxide and release the produced oxygen back into the atmosphere. Openings in the epidermis of plant leaves is the site of this exchange of gasses. A single opening is called a stoma—derived from the Greek word for “mouth.” Stomata open and close in response to a variety of environmental cues.Each stoma is flanked by two specialized guard cells that create an opening when these cells take up water. The transport of ions regulates the...
FAQs
Evaporation from moist cell surfaces inside a leaf creates negative pressure within the plant’s water-conducting pathway. That pressure pulls water upward through the xylem as a continuous stream extending from the roots. This mechanism links water loss at the leaf with long-distance transport, helping explain how plant water movement operates.
Guard cells control whether stomata open or close, thereby adjusting the route through which water vapor leaves the plant. Their responses to light, carbon dioxide, and water availability help balance water loss against photosynthetic gas exchange. This regulation allows plants to coordinate internal water status with the conditions needed for photosynthetic function.
Stomatal regulation creates a physiological tradeoff: opening supports photosynthetic gas exchange, while restricting opening can limit water loss. Plant function therefore depends on adjusting this balance rather than maximizing either process alone. Studying that relationship helps explain how transpiration contributes simultaneously to water transport, temperature regulation, and photosynthetic activity.
Light, carbon dioxide concentration, and water availability can influence stomatal behavior and therefore alter water vapor loss. Light may promote stomatal opening, whereas changing carbon dioxide or limited water availability can modify the plant’s regulation of the stomata. These variables provide important conditions for interpreting differences in transpiration and plant responses.
Biology investigations can examine transpiration by relating stomatal regulation to water movement, water availability, light, and carbon dioxide. The resulting observations help researchers interpret how plants manage water loss while maintaining photosynthetic gas exchange. This approach connects cellular regulation in leaves with whole-plant functions such as upward xylem transport and temperature regulation.
Understanding this process contributes to research in ecology, agriculture, and environmental biology. It helps investigators examine plant water transport, responses to drought, temperature regulation, and adaptation to environmental conditions. These applications make transpiration relevant both to basic studies of plant function and to broader questions about how plants respond to changing water availability.