Water Transport in Plants
Water Transport in Plants
Introduction
In this lab experiment, we set out to examine the different transpiration rates of a plant system in certain environments. Water is transported in a plant by the process of transpiration, which is the loss of water through evaporation from the surface of leaves. The stomata in leaves are responsible for the diffusion of water vapor. Transpiration brings water upward through the xylem in the plant. There are certain factors that can affect transpiration rates in plants. Most transpiration is boosted with the help of leaves and an opened stomata, which is why my group predicted that plants set up in a high light environment will have the highest transpiration rate. We believe the light will substantially affect the opening of the stomata in leaves, increasing the transpiration.
Materials and Methods
To conduct our experiment, the class set up several potometers to measure the amount of water that will be transpired by observing the water level as it drops down the plastic tube with graduated markings by mL. Ten plants were set up in potometers, having two plants set up according to the five particular conditions we wanted to observe. We set up plants in order to have a control, a windy environment, a high light environment, a humid environment, and a plant with no leaves. The control groups set up their plants in room temperature with no supplemental treatments. Groups measuring a windy environment, which my particular group set up, simulated wind by placing the plant about 1 meter from a fan at low speed. It was important not to simulate too much wind because that would cause the stomata to close. A high light environment was set up by placing the plant under intense light to simulate sunlight. Groups experimenting a humid environment misted the plant and wrapped it inside a sealed bag to increase humidity. The fifth environment observed was plants with no leaves, which gave us a control treatment in
Introduction
In this lab experiment, we set out to examine the different transpiration rates of a plant system in certain environments. Water is transported in a plant by the process of transpiration, which is the loss of water through evaporation from the surface of leaves. The stomata in leaves are responsible for the diffusion of water vapor. Transpiration brings water upward through the xylem in the plant. There are certain factors that can affect transpiration rates in plants. Most transpiration is boosted with the help of leaves and an opened stomata, which is why my group predicted that plants set up in a high light environment will have the highest transpiration rate. We believe the light will substantially affect the opening of the stomata in leaves, increasing the transpiration.
Materials and Methods
To conduct our experiment, the class set up several potometers to measure the amount of water that will be transpired by observing the water level as it drops down the plastic tube with graduated markings by mL. Ten plants were set up in potometers, having two plants set up according to the five particular conditions we wanted to observe. We set up plants in order to have a control, a windy environment, a high light environment, a humid environment, and a plant with no leaves. The control groups set up their plants in room temperature with no supplemental treatments. Groups measuring a windy environment, which my particular group set up, simulated wind by placing the plant about 1 meter from a fan at low speed. It was important not to simulate too much wind because that would cause the stomata to close. A high light environment was set up by placing the plant under intense light to simulate sunlight. Groups experimenting a humid environment misted the plant and wrapped it inside a sealed bag to increase humidity. The fifth environment observed was plants with no leaves, which gave us a control treatment in