Transpiration Rates in Plants Under differnt

Enviornmental Conditions
Transpiration is a key process for the survival of plants. It involes
the movement of water through the plant and into the atmosphere;
this provides numerous benefits to the plant and the ecosystem - such
as benefiting the water cycle. However, plant transipration is also
effected by the enviornment. Transipration in plants is effected by
numerous conditions - humidity, wind, light, and temperature - which
change the biological and physical processes of the plants water
transport by the concept of water potential.

As the combination of osmotic pressure and turgor pressure,

water potential is extremely important in the transport of water from
one cell to another in a plant. Water potential dictates the water will
move from a place of high water potential to a location with lower
water potential. Generally, water potential is lower in the higher parts
of the plants allowing water to flow from the area of highest water
potential (roots) to places of lower water potential via osmosis.
Pressure potential and solute potential are also important in water
potential throughout a plant. Pressure potential is directly related to
water potential as pressure created by the cell's vacuole pushing
against the cell wall causes water potential to increase. The cell wall of
a plant is strong enough to withstand the pressure and prevent the cell
from erupting. Solute potential is defined as the amount of solute in a
solution. This is inversely related to water potential as the higher
amount of solutes in the cells will increase the amount of water flow
into the cell because a hypertonic enviornment is created. Water
movement through a plant is also effected by many other conditions
some of which include effects on transpiration.

An experiment was conducted in order to measure transpiration

rates of plants under different enviornmental conditions. The
conditions were conducted in a controlled enviornment as some of the
conditions were implicated by unnatural causes. Four different
scenarios were set up:

Group I - Plant under room conditions (light, low humidity, 20

degrees celcius, and little air movement)

Group II - Room conditions with increased humidity

 Group III - Room conditions with increased air movement by
means of a fan

Group IV - Room conditions with additional light

The results of each of the groups after exposure to each of the

conditions after 30 minutes is recorded in the graph below. The results
varied as each condition had different effects on each of the plants

There are many physical processes which affect the transipration

rates of plants and can lead to the plant transpiring more water or less.
A plant in optimal conditions (sufficient light, low humidity, comfortable
temperature, and little to no wind movement) will transpire water out
through the stomata of the leaves on a plant. The journey that water
undertakes starts by water in the soil entering the roots and passing
through numerous cells via osmosis. The reason that water is absorbed
into the roots of a plant is due to hydrostatic pressure caused by water
and carbon dioxide being released by the stomata in the leaf which
attracts more water. Water travels through the roots and into the
xylem of the stem and through vessel elements and tracheids (xylem
cells) as it is used up for many of the plants biological functions;
however, most of the water that has entered the plant is not used and
therefore must be transpired out through the stomata.

Different enviornmental conditions produce different

transpiration rates in plants such as humiditiy. High humidity, which is
the saturation of water in the air, will normally lower transpiration rates
in water. It is far easier for plants to retain water in a humid
enviornment as the water released by the plant is not evaporated and
remains on the leaf covering the stomata of a plant. However, in low
humidity (dry, arid climates), evaporation of water on the leaves will
occur much faster as the water evaporates into the air. Transpiration
rates will rise in dry climates. Therefore in Group II's data with the
plants placed in conditions with increased humidity, transpiration rates
will be higher.

The movement of air around the plant also is a key factor that
effects the transpiration rates of numerous plants. Group III had a plant
with under conditions of increased air movement via a fan. Due to the
increased movement of air, they will have a higher transpiration rate
than that of Group I's and Group II's data with little air movement.
Movement of air causes water to move or drip of the plant as opposed
to evaporating quicker. No wind movement will result in the water
remaining on the leaf as it is evaporated slowly over time.
Furthermore, air movement is related to humidity. If the air
surrounding the plant does not move, eventually plants will transpire
and evaporate enough water into the air causing a more humid
enviornment to be formed. On the contrary, if wind is present the air
surrounding the plant will be replaced with dryer air causing higher
transpiration rates of the plant.

Another important environmental condition is light intensity as

opposed to heat. Light intensity can either hinder transpiration or
increase transpiration depending on what kind and how intense the
light hitting the stomata of a plant is. Different kinds of light are more
effective on the opening and closing of the stomata on a plant. Blue
light is by far the most effective. Measured at approximatly 430nm -
450nm, blue light strikes the blue light receptors surrounding the
stomata in the guard cells. When the blue light strikes the receptors,
hydrogen pumps are activated and potassium from cells surrounding
the guard cells flood in. The flooding in of the potassium to the guard
cells brings in water as well. Therefore increased light will cause a
higher transpiration rate of water.