TRANSPIRATION

 The process of plants giving off water

Transpiration

 On plant leaves, stomates open for carbon dioxide and oxygen during photosynthesis
 Passage is controlled by humidity of the surrounding atmosphere and the moisture content of the
soil
 “engine” that pulls water up from the soil to
• Supply photosynthesis (1% - 2% of water)
• Bring minerals from the roots to be synthesized within the leaf
• Cools the leaf - a prerequisite for long distance transport of minerals
Volume of water lost in transpiration

 For every kg of plant tissue gained in growth, a plant will transpire 200-1000 kg of water
• Palm trees – 500 L / day
• Corn – 3-4 L / day (99% of water absorbed during growing is lost in transpiration)
• Cactus – 25 mL / day
Rate of Transpiration
 Depends on the opening and closing of the stomates
 Regulated by the water potential of the guard cells
• Turgid – stomates open
• Flaccid – stomates close
 K+ is the most important ion in controlling turgidity of guard cells
Opening and Closing of the Stomate
 Transpiration increases when stomates are open
 Stomates open due to
• Rise in temperature – every 10⁰C rise in temperature doubles the rate of transpiration
• Wind and low humidity – increase water evaporation from leaf surfaces
 Stomates close due to
• Water stress
• High temperature (> 30⁰C)
• High carbon dioxide

Stages

1. Evaporation of water from cell surfaces (phase change of water)

• Moist cell walls to substomatal air surface
• Heat of vaporization – energy required to convert liquid to gaseous state without change
in temperature
2. Diffusion of water vapor from the intracellular spaces to the atmosphere

Path of Water

Soil -> plant -> atmosphere

1. Apoplastic Pathway
 Apoplast – the intercellular spaces between the cells and the cell wall
 2. Transmembrane Pathway
 Cell membrane of cortex to endodermis
3. Symplastic Pathway
 Water crosses the plasma membrane and then passes from cell through plasmodesmata

Water Uptake

 At the endodermis, a band of suberized matrix called the casparian strip prevents the entry to
the pericycle, apoplastic water must enter the symplasm of the endodermal cells to
plasmodesmata into the cells of the pericycle.

Types of Transpiration

1. Stomatal Transpiration
 Water released via stomata on leaf epidermis
 Chief type of transpiration
 Amounts for more than 90% of the water lost from plants
2. Cuticular Transpiration
 Water released through cutinized plant surfaces
 Cracks, small opening, pores, and ectodesmata in cuticles of leaves, stems, and branches
3. Lenticular Transpiration
 Water is releases through the openings (lenticels) in the periderm layer of the stems of roots
 Results to substantial lost of water in deciduous species during autumn

What forces water through the xylem

1. Transpiration-Cohesion-Adhesion Theory
 Water evaporates from leaves via transpiration creating a pull or tension on the water column
 Tension in the xylem lowers the water potential, so the tree can pull water in from the soil
2. Root Pressure
 When a tomato plant is carefully severed close to the base of the stem, sap oozes from the stump.
 The fluid comes out under pressure which is called root pressure
 Root pressure is created by the osmotic pressure of the xylem sap which is, in turn, created by
dissolved minerals and sugars
3. Capillary Theory
 The water is translocated because water molecules adhere to the surfaces of small, or capillary
tubes
 Adhesion causes water to somewhat “creep” upward along the sides of xylem elements

In the absence of transpiration

 Active transport of ions into the roots continues – ion concentration in the root cells increases
 Water enters root hair cells by osmosis
 Pressure pushes the water up the xylem column (root pressure)
 And may force the water up to the leaves and out as liquid (guttation)
*Guttation - Exhalation of liquid from structure called hydathodes along the leaf margins

Factor Affecting Transpiration

1. Plant Factors
 Efficiency of evaporative surface (leaf area and stomatal density)
  Efficiency of water absorption (function of total root absorbing surface)
 Other surface / stomatal modifications
 Phytohormones (ABA – closure; GA – opening)
 Canopy Structure (pyramidal – increase transpiration)
2. Edaphic (Soil) Factors
 N, P and K stimulate stomatal opening
 Regulate turgidity of the cell
3. Environmental Factors
 Temperature
• Plants transpire more rapidly at higher temperatures
• Water evaporates more rapidly as the temperature rises
• At 30⁰C, a leaf may transpire three times more than at 20⁰C
 Light
• Plant transpire more in light than in the dark
• Light stimulated the opening of the stomata
• Speeds up transpiration by warming the leaf
 Humidity
• The rate of diffusion of any substance increase as the difference in the
concentration of substances in the two regions increases
• When the surrounding air is dry, diffusion of water out of the leaves goes on more
rapidly
 Wind
• Air surrounding a leaf becomes increasingly humid thus reducing the rate of
transpiration (not windy)
• The humid air is carried away and replace drier air (windy)
 Soil Water
• When absorption of water by the roots fails to keep up with the rate of
transpiration, loss of turgor occurs, and the stomata closes
• Soil water reduces the rate of transpiration (as well as of photosynthesis)
• Wilting results from the loss of turgor, extends to the rest of the leaf and stem

Plant Adaptation to Minimize Transpiration

 Waxy leaves
 Leaf rolling
 Needle type leaves
 Succulent stems (reduced leaves) – for storage and main photosynthetic tissue
 Dormancy
 Deciduous habit
 Thick, hard leaves with few stomate
 Presence of trichomes