Sofia Valencia

Block 3
05/22/2014
Measuring the effect of different environmental factors on the rate of transpiration

Objective: How do different environmental factors affect the rate of transpiration?
Research:

Cells and organisms have the necessity to exchange substances with their
environment in order to maintain homeostasis, grow, reproduce and obtain nutrients.
Water is absorbed by plants through the roots and it is transported to the leafs via the
xylem. Transpiration is the release of water through small pores called stomata in the
form of water vapor. Stomata are able to close or open because of the guard cells that
surround them. Guard cells allow the stomata to open when they are turgid and this
turgidity is caused by the accumulation of potassium ions inside the cell. As the ions
flow into the cell the water potential of the cell decreases and that causes water to move
inside the cell and make it turgid. On the other hand, stomata openings close when the
guard cells become flaccid it happens when the plant loses water or when the plant is
not using that much CO2 in photosynthesis. Other plants called CAM plants cross their
stomata during the day to prevent water loss. Stomata also allow CO2 to enter the cell
for photosynthesis. Only 5% of the water that is absorbed remains in the plant for
storage and growth (College Board, 2014).
The Cohesive Theory of Sap Ascent in plants explains transpiration. This theory
describes how the cohesive properties of water (attraction between water molecules)
allow water molecules to be pulled up as water molecules are being evaporated. As one
molecule of water exits the cell through the stomata another one is being pulled up and
since they are attracted to each other by cohesion, a chain is formed in which the
molecule that is being evaporated pulls the other molecules of the chain. Cohesion is
formed due to hydrogen bonds, one hydrogen bonds to the oxygen of the adjacent
molecule; this is possible due to the polarity of water. Furthermore, adhesion also helps
the water molecules get from the roots to the shoots. Adhesion is the attraction between
two different molecules, in this case water molecules attach to the cells in the walls of
the plants (Transpiration - Water Movement through Plants, 2014).
Transpiration rate depends on two major factors: the first one is the driving force
for water movement from the soil to the atmosphere and the second one is the resistance
of water movement in the plant. The driving force is the difference in water potential
between the plant, and the soil and atmosphere around it. That is why, the drier the air
around the plant the faster water moves and therefore, the higher the transpiration rate.
Transpiration is affected by various environmental factors surrounding the plant such as
temperature, wind, and humid environment. For example, the rate of transpiration in a
plant will be greater if it is exposed to light than if it is in the dark this happens because
plants stomata open when they are exposed to light and therefore let the water out. On
the other hand, a plants rate of transpiration will be higher if it is on a dry environment
instead of being on a humid environment because the water potential in the surrounding
environment will be lowest and that will cause evaporation to occur faster. If a plant is
under a breezy environment its rate of transpiration will be greater that a plant which is
on a still air environment because breezy conditions will increase the rate of evaporation
from the surface of the leaves and that will lower water potential outside the plant which
will automatically cause the rate of transpiration to increase because water always move
from a place with high water potential to a place of low water potential. However, if a
plant is on a very windy environment the stomata will most likely close in order to
prevent water loss. Finally is the plant is subjected to a really hot environment probably
the rate of transpiration will decrease because plants close their stomata in order to
prevent water loss (Lab Bench, 2014).

Alternative hypothesis: If I change environmental conditions then the rate of
transpiration is going to change.

Null hypothesis: If I change the environmental conditions then the rate of transpiration
is not going to be affected.

Experimental Hypothesis: If the plant, impatient, is exposed to wind (which is
simulated by a fan), the rate of transpiration will be greater than the other plants that are
being exposed by other environmental factors like temperature or mist because the
creating of a breezy environment will sweep away the layer of water vapor surrounding
the leaf and therefore it will decrease the water potential outside the leave causing the
water inside the plant to start evaporating and thus increasing the rate of transpiration.

Experimental Design:
Manipulated
Variable
Responding
Variable
Constants Control
#of trials: 2
Environmental
factors affecting
transpiration
Trial 1:
Amount of
mist
received by
the plant
Trial 2:
Amount of
temperature
received by
the plant
with an
obstacle
(less
increase in
temperature
)
Trial 3:
Amount of
wind
received by
the plant
Trial 4:
Amount of
direct
temperature
received by
the plant
(more
increase in
temperature
)

Rate of transpiration
(ml/m2)
Measured by
the decrease
of water
level in the
potometer
and also
considering
the surface
area of the
loaf
(therefore the
amount of
stomata)
(ml/m2)
Distance
between
environmental
factor and the
plant (30 cm)
Type of plant
used
(Impatience)
Amount of
water poured
inside the
potometer at
the beginning
of the
experiment
Time interval
between
measurement
(3 minutes)
Total
measurement
time (30
minutes)
Stabilizing
time (10
minutes)
Same
diagonal cut
on the plants
stem (45
o
)
Room
temperature
(22
o
)
Water
temperature
(22
o
)
Trey used and
amount of
water in the
trey
Type of
syringe used
(10ml without
needle)
Same type of
pipettes (1ml)
Same type of
scalpel
Potometer (Plant)
unexposed to
environmental
factors
PROCEDURE
Materials:
Tap water (enough to fill the tray and the potometer)
Hose
2 Pipet (1ml)
Scalpel
Clamps
Transparent Tape
Chronometer
Impatience (leafs of the plant)
Syringe (10ml)
Transparent container (serves as a light obstacle)
Petroleum jelly
Tray (plastic container)
2 Light bulbs
Light bulb supporters
Mist Sprayer
Fan
Transparent plastic bag
Magnifying glass
Pencil
Sheet to calculate surface area
Procedure
1. Set Up
Fill the plastic tray with water
Put one pipet at the one end of the hose so you can measure the rate of
transpiration

Introduce the hose into the plastic tray and fill it with water (by sucking
at one end of the hose)
Make sure there is no bubbles inside the hose (You can do this by
forcing water into the hose with the syringe, be sure not to take the hose
out of the water in the plastic tray because that might cause air bubbles to
go inside) (With the magnifying glass you can check for bubbles)
Cut a stem of the plant impatience with the scalpel, make sure that the
part of the stem you cut has plenty of leafs
As fast as you can put the stem under water so that air bubbles dont get
into the xylem
Under water cut the stem with the scalpel diagonally
Carefully and still under water introduce the plants stem into one of the
hose ends with out breaking it
Once the stem is in the hose take the hose out of the water but putting
your finger on the other end securing the hose from air
Once it is outside remove your finger and make sure the water is not
going down
Then put the hose into the clamps
With the transparent tape, tape the other pipet to the previous pipet so
you can have measurements for the upper part of the pipet
Apply petroleum jelly to the side of the hose where the plant is so there
is no leak of water
If you are temperature with obstacle: put the transparent container in
between the potometer and the light bulb
If you are wind: place the fan at a safe distance and be ready to turn it on
If you are mist prepare your sprayer by putting water into it and put the
plastic bag over the plant to cover it
Once everything is assembled start the chronometer and wait for 10
minutes for the set up to stabilize

2. Conducting the experiment
Once the set up is stable you can get you chronometer and set it for 30
minutes
You should prepare your variable (if you are temperature turn on the
light bulb, if you are mist put spray water to the plant and if you are wind
turn on the fan)
Record how much water is going down in the potometer by the using the
pipets every 3 minutes
3. Calculating surface area
Once you are done recording all your data rip-off the leafs from your
stem and place them on the surface area sheet
With your pencil start tracing the leafs
Count the number of square centimeters (by counting the number of
squares inside your traced leaf)
Convert your value from square centimeters to square meters
RESULTS AND ANALYSIS







ml/m2

time in minutes
treatment 0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30
control 0,00 0,57 0,71 0,86 1,14 1,14 1,14 1,43 1,43 1,43 1,71
light no
obs 0,00 0,42 0,63 0,95 1,47 1,79 2,53 3,47 3,89 4,84
5,79
5,79

light 0,00 1,09 1,30 1,52 1,74 1,96 2,39 2,61 3,26 4,13 4,57
fan 0,00 0,40 1,33 2,00 2,80 3,87 4,53 5,33 6,40 6,93 7,87
mist 0,00 1,13 1,13 1,27 1,27 1,27 1,41 1,41 1,41 1,55 1,55







Treatment Surface Area m^2
Control 0,003500
Light no obstacle 0,009500
Light 0,004600
Fan 0,007500
Mist 0,007100






Analysis



The graph above shows the transpiration rate of the plant impatience under
different environmental conditions. For each environmental condition we can appreciate
a different linear, or at least, almost linear pattern. These are all positive relationships
because as the x-axis increases the y-axis increases as well. The graph shows that the
rate of transpiration under the variable of a fan is the highest. From the start the line
shoots up very rapidly and continues growing as time passes by. Following a very
0.000
0.010
0.020
0.030
0.040
0.050
0.060
0.070
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
r
a
t
e

o
f

t
r
a
n
s
p
i
r
a
t
i
o
n

(
m
l
)

Time (min)
Transpiration rate over time
control
light
light (w/obs)
fan
mist

Time in Minutes
treatment 0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30
control 0,000 0,002 0,003 0,003 0,004 0,004 0,004 0,005 0,005 0,005 0,006
light no
obs 0,000 0,004 0,006 0,009 0,014 0,017 0,024 0,033 0,037 0,046 0,055
light 0,000 0,005 0,006 0,007 0,008 0,009 0,011 0,012 0,015 0,019 0,021
fan 0,000 0,003 0,010 0,015 0,021 0,029 0,034 0,040 0,048 0,052
0,059

Mist 0,000 0,008 0,008 0,009 0,009 0,009 0,010 0,010 0,010 0,011 0,011
similar line comes the plant exposed to the light variable. It also starts increases very
rapidly and continues with the growth. Light with obstacle follows but this line has a
slower rate of change, it doesnt changes so fast and therefore it doesnt go as high. Mist
comes next and this variable also shows a really slow growth and at some points in the
x-axis the value for the y-axis remains the same. Lastly, there is the control, which has
the slowest rate of change; its line almost touches the x-axis. However, the value of y is
still increasing as x increases.


This graph shows results that are really similar to the graph above. The big
difference in this graph is that know surface area is being taken into consideration.
Surface area was calculated and then the amount of transpiration in ml over Meters
Square of surface area was calculated over time. Still they are all linear relationships
that show a different positive slope. However, the order in which the lines go is still the
same. The fan variable shows the highest positive slope followed by light and then light
without obstacle. Other difference from the graph above is that in this graph the lines
for the experiment with mist and the control overlaps which means that they produced
the same amount of transpiration surface area of the leafs (therefore amount of stomata)
is taken into consideration.

CONCLUSIONS

The purpose of this experiment was to investigate and understand how different
environmental factors that might be surrounding the plant can affect its rate of
transpiration. To fulfill this purpose we assembled different potometers that exposed
0.00
1.00
2.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
7.00
8.00
9.00
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
R
a
t
e

o
f

t
r
a
n
s
p
i
r
a
t
i
o
n

(
m
l
/
m
^
2
)

Time (in time intervals each of three minutes)
Transpiration rate measured over time
considering the surface area of the leafs
control
light
light (w/obs)
fan
mist
plants to different environmental conditions and with the help of a pipet filled with
water we measured the rate of transpiration every 3 minutes for 30 minutes.
The major findings at the end of this experiment were the following: the
environmental factor, which increases the rate of transpiration, the most is wind (the
fan), followed by light without obstacle (light bulb), then the light with obstacle comes
to then end up with mist. Mist is the variable that stimulated the rate of transpiration the
less. We also found that surface area also has an effect on transpiration, as surface area
increases rate of transpiration increases as well.
My experimental hypothesis was supported by the findings and results. I stated
that wind will cause the greater increase in the rate of transpiration and the results
confirmed by prediction since the plant that was on the potometer that was exposed to
the fan was the one that transpired the most.
The research and the results coincided. The results of my experiment just
reaffirmed what the information in the research had already told me. The research gave
me a clear idea of what was going to happen since it compared different environmental
factors and explained which factor will increase the rate of transpiration rate the most
and why. It stated that breezy could potentially increase the rate of transpiration in
plants more than a still air environment and that is what the results showed. In this
experiment there wasnt the possibility to compare my results to other classmates since
every group had different variables. However, we conducted the experiment twice and
the results were similar.
There is an explanation for the results and that is that transpiration is mainly
driven by differences in water potential. Since the wind that the fan produces dries away
the water that is coming out of the stomata of the plant into the outer surface of the leaf
the water potential outside of the leaf becomes more negative and that stimulates the
plant to start transpiring because water always move from an area of less water potential
to an area of less water potential. High temperatures that might be produced by the light
bulb also dry the water outside the plant and therefore stimulate it to transpire but most
importantly plants open their stomata when they are exposed to light so water can come
out of them. Lastly if you wet the plant with mist the water potential outside the leaf
will become greater than the water potential inside the leaf or at least wont be as
different so the plant wont be stimulated to transpire at a high rate.
Possible errors for this experiment could have been the following: air bubbles
could have stayed inside the hose. Even though we checked repeatedly for air bubbles
and tried to get all of them out there is still a chance for one of two bubbles to have
stayed inside the hose. Also could have been a leak in the hose that allowed the water to
go down faster. Finally, reading the pipet could have been difficult specially because we
had to attach another pipet so we could read the part of the pipet, which didnt have
measurements.
A good improvement for this experiment would have been adding another
variable for temperature. It would have been interesting to actually increase the
temperature or decrease the temperature of one potometer so we could have seen how
the rate of transpiration will be affected if the actual temperature surrounded the plant
changed.
For further study it will be a good idea to use different plants even different
types of plants such as C4 or CAM plants to see the different factors that affect their
rate of transpiration and how are they different or similar to the factors that affect the
rate of transpiration for C3 plants.






























Work Cited

College Board. (2014). Investigation 11, Transpiration. Media Collegeboard. Retrieved
May 21, 2014, from http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/ap/bio-
manual/Bio_Lab11-Transpiration.pdf

LabBench. (2014). LabBench. Retrieved May 22, 2014, from
http://www.phschool.com/science/biology

Transpiration - Water Movement through Plants. (2014). Plant and Soil Sciences
eLibrary. Retrieved May 21, 2014, from
http://passel.unl.edu/pages/informationmodule.php?idinformationmodule=10928538
41&topicorde