BIOLOGY LAB REPORT

PRACTICAL 10

Measuring rate of water uptake by a plant shoot using a potometer

Date: 28th of January 2013 Name: Yevgeniya Migranova Tutorial group: J Lab partners name: Zhannur Issayev

Nazarbayev University
23.11.2013

Introduction:
This practical will investigate rate of water uptake by a plan shoot. First of all, water uptake begins in a root by passing the epidermis and travelling to the vascular tissue in the middle. Then the water travels up the xylem owing to transpiration and water pressure. Such qualities of water as adhesion and cohesion allow it to move up the shoot. As the water fills up the leaves of the plant, turgidity of cells increases; consequently, latera; flexible cell wall expands and stomata gets open. Stomata are vital for transpiration. The wider stomata are open, the stronger is transpiration. As they close, transpiration rate decreases significantly. The experiment allows us observe how different conditions, such as light intensity, wind speed and temperature affect the rate of transpiration.

Materials and Method:

Safety measures: 1. Some people are allergic to the sap from specific plants. Inform your teacher if your skin gets irritated. 2. Be careful while cutting the plant shoot. 3. Be cautious with glassware that might be broken. If it does, make sure you know how to deal with broken glass. Procedure: 1. This practical requires the use of potometer, which is an h-shaped capillary tube which allows measuring how long it takes a bubble to move a set distance. 2. The leaf of a plant has to be cut off and put into a beaker. Then potometer has to be taken and the leaf has to be put into a stopper under the water in the bath. Potometer has to be filled with water, ensuring there are no bubbles inside. Then, one stopper with a leaf has to be inserted into one end of potometer, and stopper with a measuring pipette has to be plucked into another end. Wait until the reading on the potometer settles down. 3. Take the beaker filled with water and turn the light bulb on. Make sure the light is on full. Then set a close distance between the light bulb with the beaker in front of it and the plant. Note down changes that have occurred in 2 minutes interval after each run. Allow 5 minutes for the potometer reading to settle and note it. Vary distance in next runs by making it longer. 4. Repeat the experiment for the speed of wind by using a hair dryer. Use the anemometer to measure the wind speed. 5. Repeat the experiment for the temperature using thermometer in the anemometer. 6. Count the surface area of the leaf by outlining it on the graph paper of the log book.

Results:
Experiment 1. Light intensity Table 1. Light intensity Distance of light from the plant (cm) 20 30 40 50 60 Potometer change (mm) Rate of transpiration (cm/s) 0.27 0.21 0.17 0.13 0.1

7.9 6.4 5.2 3.8 2.9

Graph 1. Light intensity

Experiment 2. Wind Speed and Temperature Table 2. Wind Speed and Temperature Wind speed (km/h) Temperature (Co) Potometer change (mm) 10.8 7 5.1 3.4 2.8 Rate of transpiration (cm/s) 0.36 0.23 0.17 0.11 0.3

35.4 21.7 13.3 8.1 4

38 36 33 30 26

Graph 2. Wind Speed

Graph 2. Temperature

Experiment 3. Surface area According to the graph paper of the log book, the surface area of the leaf is around 96 cm .
2

Discussion:
Deducing from the results of experiment one, it is possible to deduce that the greater is the light intensity, the higher is the transpiration rate. This is because an increase in light intensity results in an increase of rate of photosynthesis; therefore, the plant needs to open stomata and increase transpiration rate. Increase in wind speed from the experiment 2 also increases transpiration rate, because the wind removes water vapor from around the leaf. Another factor increasing transpiration rate is the temperature. At higher temperatures plants transpire more readily because water molecules move more rapidly at higher

temperatures than at low temperatures. Finally, experiment 4 demonstrates that larger surface area causes higher transpiration rate because more stomata are located on larger leaves. Possible mistakes could be made due to poor construction of the potometer, wrong calculations or timing.

Conclusion:
The practical results have demonstrated that increase in light intensity, wind speed, temperature and surface area also increases transpiration rate. Light intensity, wind speed, temperature are external affecters of the transpiration rate; whereas, the surface area is the property of the leaf itself and higher transpiration rate is a result of high amount of stomata.

References:
Kent, Michael. 2000. Advanced Biology. United Kingdom: Oxford University press. Campbell, Neil A. 2008. Biology. Pearson Education Press.