02 - 07 - Transpiration - Lab - Report Final 2
02 - 07 - Transpiration - Lab - Report Final 2
02 - 07 - Transpiration - Lab - Report Final 2
Instructions: In this lab activity, you may investigate one of many scientific questions related to
transpiration, plant adaptation, and the effects of environmental factors on plant behavior. Once
you have selected your scientific question, you will design an investigation to test it, collect and
analyze data, and form a conclusion. Submit your lab report to your instructor when completed.
aim of Objective(s): Investigating the connection between leaf size and transpiration rate is
the this laboratory.
Listed below are possible questions you could investigate related to transpiration, plant
adaptation, or the effects of environmental factors on plant behavior. You may select from one of
these questions or create your own. Once you determine your investigative question, create your
related objectives in this section.
*Environmental factors can be wind, light versus dark, or temperature but are not limited to these options.
Hypothesis: Larger leaves have more endurance, therefore as a plant's leaf size increases, so does the
rate of transpiration.
Write a prediction for your selected investigative question. Be sure your prediction compares the
action of your independent variable to your dependent variable. Use an "if /then” format for each
hypothesis statement.
Lab Safety:
The summary of steps for this section depend on the question you would like to investigate. A
common way to test the rate of transpiration is by the “whole plant method.” The general steps
for this method are below. You will need to modify and add to these steps based on your
investigation. You are responsible for creating and recording all procedures you plan to
follow.
Suggested Materials:
String
Water
1. Saturate each plant with water (or your solution if you are testing the effects of
solute concentration) the day before beginning your investigation.
2. Don’t forget to include a control, a plant that is not subjected to your experimental
variable.
3. Do not water your plant again until after you have finished your experiment.
4. For each plant, remove the roots with surrounding soil (keeping both intact) and
wrap it in a plastic bag.
5. Tie the top of the bag around the base of the stem so only the leaves are exposed.
6. Place each plant base (wrapped in plastic) back into its pot.
7. Be sure to remove any flowers from your plant.
8. Determine the initial weight of each plant using a kitchen or bathroom scale. (Be
sure to note the unit of measurement in your data and graph later.)
9. Weigh your plants each day at the same time for four days. (Be sure your plants
are under your selected environmental condition if you are testing environmental
factors).
10. Modify these steps based on your investigative question.
Variables:
List and explain your controlled variables, independent variable, and dependent variable for your
investigation.
Remember, controlled variables are factors that remain the same throughout the experiment. An
independent (test) variable changes so that the experimenter can see the effect on other variables.
The dependent (outcome) variable will change in response to the test variable.
Controlled variables: The plant's location, leaf type, watering schedule, and length of time
it spends submerged in water.
Data:
3cm 5 6
4cm 8 9
7cm 16 17
Complete the table to organize the data you have collected in this investigation. Don’t forget to
record measurements with the correct number of significant figures.
Conclusion: The pace at which plant leaves transpired was significantly impacted by the experimental
variable. It was found by this experiment that larger leaves transpire more quickly. With a mass shift
that was comparatively minor to the other leaves, the 1-inch-tall leaf in the data had the slowest
transpiration rate. Because of its large mass change, the largest leaf—4 inches—showed the quickest
transpiration rate. Lastly, the 4-inch leaf seeing the largest change in mass suggests that the data
supports the theory that larger leaves transpire more quickly. This is due to the fact that larger leaves
have more stomata and pores, which provide more pathways for water to escape. Small differences in
leaf size and fluctuations in the water quantity in the cups are two potential sources of error.
How did your experimental variable affect the rate of transpiration in your plants?
Explain your results.
How does your graphical data support your conclusion?
Does your data support or fail to support your hypotheses?
Discuss any possible sources of error that could have impacted the results of this
investigation.
1. What type of solution (isotonic, hypertonic, or hypotonic) do you think could have the
greatest negative effect on transpiration and why? (If you tested solute concentrations in
plants, use your results to support your answer.) The most detrimental method to reduce
transpiration would be a hypertonic one. It causes the plant to enter a hypertonic state, which
prevents it from carrying out its basic functions.
As a result, water within the plant cells would escape via osmosis, eventually killing the plant
due to dehydration. In this scenario, the higher the solute concentration outside the cell (in the
surrounding environment), the more water moves to places with higher solute concentration.
4.
Describe the properties of water that influenced your investigation and how this was reflected
in your results. (Properties of water can include, but are not limited to, water potential,
adhesion, cohesion, and surface tension.) Adhesion and cohesion are two of water's basic
properties. These characteristics make it possible for leaves to pull water from a container, which helps
the plant as a whole with transpiration. Water's water potential, which controls flow direction and
velocity, is another important characteristic. Naturally, water flows from greater water potential places
to lower water potential parts. Pressure potential rises with elevation whereas water potential falls.
This explains why water moves from a high-water potential place (inside the plant, where pressure is
lower) to a low-pressure location (the atmosphere, where pressure is greater) in plants, causing
transpiration.
5. Students testing the effects of solute concentration in soil on plant transpiration noticed a significant
decrease in transpiration when abscisic acid was used as the solute. Even at molar concentrations less
than 0.2 M, transpiration seemed to stop almost completely. a) Make a claim as to which structural
and/or physiological component of transpiration is affected by the presence of abscisic acid.
Abscisic acid has an impact on two physiological processes that are essential to transpiration: stomatal
opening and closure.
Abscisic acid (ABA), a plant hormone, influences stomatal closure in response to environmental stress,
such as water stress. Plant roots absorb ABA in soil solution, which is transported to leaves. Stomata,
microscopic apertures producing water vapor during transpiration, shut in response to ABA signaling.
Stomatal closure is an adaptive response, even at low concentrations, limiting transpiration and
preventing excessive water loss.