Transpiration Lab Report

Every plant transpires water. Water is absorbed through the roots and moved
through veins to the plants leaves, where the moisture is evaporated through stomata,
or pores in the leaves that open for photosynthetic processes. Transpiration has many
benefits. For example, it can help cool the plant and carry minerals from the soil.
Transpiration is controlled by many known factors, including light, temperature, and
humidity. This experiment was created to explore a factor that could impact transpiration
- leaf surface area.
How does leaf surface area affect the movement of water through a plant? In
order to answer this question, interpretation was needed. It was interpreted that the
question was inferring the exploration of how leaf surface area would change the
amount of water transpired over time. According to Clemson University, water makes up
80-90% of plant tissue. Transpiration takes 95% of absorbed water, while 5% goes to
plant growth and photosynthesis. Logically, it was hypothesized that larger leaves would
require more water to maintain the massive growth, and to stay hydrated. As stated
previously, water transpires through leaf stomata. If a plant has larger leaves, it will
generally have more stomata, allowing more water to be evaporated at the end of
transpiration. Once again, it was hypothesized that larger leaves would transpire more
water. After further research, it was revealed that, according to a study by the
Conservatory of Flowers, larger leaves are more common at wetter altitudes, where a
surplus of water is available for transpiration. The hypothesized relationship between
leaf surface area and the amount of water transpired is shown in the graph below.

A hypothesized relationship of leaf surface area and transpiration rate. The larger the leaves are, the more water that will be transpired.

In order to test the claim in an attempt to answer the question, an experiment

was designed and executed. Four team members each grew eight bean plants over a
period of two weeks, exposing them to complete sunlight. Then, the most matured
plants were selected for the following procedures. A total of seventeen plants were
selected to undergo the transpiration lab. Each of the selected plants was carefully

separated from the soil, with its roots intact. The plants were placed in cups, filled with
the same amount of water in milliliters (the original water level differed by team member
preference). One cup was left without a plant for the purpose of accounting for
evaporation - the control cup. The plants were allowed to transpire in the water for 72
hours, sitting in a south-facing window with full exposure to sun. The new, decreased
amounts of remaining water in the cups were measured and recorded. This number
represented the total water amount that exited the cup - the water used in transpiration
and the water lost through evaporation. To consider only the water lost to transpiration,
the control cup was analyzed. The new level of water was subtracted from the original
amount. This measurement represented the evaporation that occurred in any cup,
because no plant transpired in the control cup, so transpiration was not a factor. For
each cups amount of water lost, the control cups value (in millimeters) for the amount
of water lost to evaporation was subtracted. This isolated the water amount that was
transpired through the plant. The amount of water lost to transpiration was recorded for
each plant. At this point, there needed to be a way of comparing the effects of leaf
surface area on transpiration rates. The surface area of the leaves of each plant was
determined by a ruler in centimeters. The longest measurements of length and width
were measured carefully and multiplied to produce a surface area. For plants with
multiple leaves, the surface areas of each leaf were added together for an accumulative
surface area of all leaves working to transpire the water.

The acquired and calculated data pointed generally to one conclusion - the
proposed hypothesis is likely, but not certainly, correct. The data was compared on a
graph, which is shown below. Each plant has a designated coordinate, where total leaf
surface area is the independent variable and the amount of water transpired is the
dependent variable. After inspection of the graph, it is evident that there is a positive
trend. As the surface area of leaves increases, the amount of water transpired is
typically larger. When a line of best fit was calculated for the graph, a positive slope was
generated, resembling the hypothesized graph.
Of course, there were aspects of the experiment that could have caused
defective data. The method for calculating surface area did not account for the unique
shape of the leaf, but rather considered the
dimensions as a square. So, any irregularly
shaped leaves might have been
misrepresented. However, after inspecting 7 of
the plants for leaf dissimilarities, it appeared
that the leaves were uniformly shaped, with
very few (and very small) differences. Also,

even with this possible error in mind, an upward trend is undeniable on the graph.
Although allowing for a more prolonged experiment to take place may have
allowed more accurate data, this relationship between water transpired and leaf surface
area should be visible at any point in time, as plants behave within their characteristics
naturally - not sporadically or randomly.
This experiment was designed to explore the impacts of leaf surface area on the
amount of water that is transpired by those leaves. The data, after careful consideration,
can be used as evidence to support the hypothesis - larger leaves transpire more water.
This data is not abnormal, and follows the predicted behaviors of leaves at different
sizes based on plant micro-anatomy. And so, although nothing can be affirmatively
concluded, it is safely stated that the experiment provided enough data and reason to
support the idea that, as the surface area of leaves increases, so does the amount of
water transpired by those leaves.

Citations:
Extension, Clemson University Cooperative. "Why Plants Need Water." : Extension : Clemson University :
South Carolina. Web. 04 Nov. 2016.
Eavis, B. W., and H. M. Taylor. "Transpiration of Soybeans as Related to Leaf Area, Root Length, and Soil
Water Content1." Agronomy Journal 71.3 (1979): 441. Print.
Kimball, J.W., Transpiration. Kimballs Biology Pages. (2011) 04 Nov. 2016.
"LabBench Activity." Pearson. Web. 04 Nov. 2016.
Petersen, J. S., and Bronwyn Harris. WiseGeek. Conjecture. Web. 04 Nov. 2016.
Plant Adaptations Conservatory of Flowers. (2016) 04 Nov 2016.
"Rate of Transpiration: Plant Factors." CropsReview.Com. Web. 04 Nov. 2016.