1

Plant Biology 1100

Transpiration and Plant Adaptation
By Tammy S. Hanson

We all need water, oxygen and food in order to sustain life. Plants are crucial if not the
most important element in creating a habitable environment. Trees and plants provide water,
Oxygen, food, clothing, shelter and fire. This paper will focus on the importance of plants to our
environment beginning with the water-cycle, how they can adapt their photosynthesis to changes
in climate where water is sometimes scarce. With all that plants have to offer it was a necessity
that plants had to evolve and adapt to their new environments after Pangea. Without the survival
of plants there could be no life.
The plants role in the Water-cycle is through transpiration. Plants produce about 10% of
the earths moisture in the atmosphere through the evaporation of water through the plants
leaves, lenticels and cuticle. Water travels from its roots through interconnected tubes of Xylem
that run from the roots through the shoots up to the leaves. Cohesion Tension Theory explains
how the water molecules are electrically neutral, but with its asymmetric shape this results in the
molecules having a small positive charge at one end and a small negative charge at the other
causing water to create a weak hydrogen bond that coheres the molecules together as it travels up
the Xylem . As transpiration takes place and moisture is released into the air it creates a pull

or tension with the water molecules to continue to replace what is lost thus making it up the plant
and defying gravity. Plants evaporate more than 90% if its water from its leaves where the
stomata open to allow Co2 in and Oxygen (a waste product of the plant) out. Less than 5%
evaporates through lenticels and cuticles. Transpiration may be an invisible process but the
amount of water it releases into the atmosphere is impressive. For example, an acre of corn
gives about 3,000- 4,000 gallons of water a day and a large oak tree can give 40,000 gallons of
water per year. Studies have shown that as part of the water cycle 10% of the water cycle is from
transpiration of plants and 90% comes from oceans and other bodies of water.
Temperature, relative humidity, wind and air movement, and soil moisture availability all
affect the amount of water a plant can evaporate. The growing season is the warmer months.
The temperature rises and transpiration rises. Warmer temperatures cause the Stoma to open
allowing more transpiration. During dormant seasons, cooler weather keeps the Stoma closed.
Humid air constricts the evaporation process. It is easier to evaporate into drier air than humid
air. Relative humidity in the air allows more evaporation of water into the air. Water saturates
the air around the transpired leaf. Wind around the leaf will increase transpiration into the air.
When water is lacking in the soil this causes the plant to age prematurely and it loses its leaves.
When this happens less leaves means less transpiration. In most places plants exist in the top
layer of soil which is above the water table. The plant gets its moisture when it rains and can
easily dry out without precipitation. Plants the live next to water areas such as lakes and oceans,

the roots can penetrate to the saturated zones for water. These areas utilize the ground water for
transpiration.
What about plants that live in more arid zones? Plants that live in arid zones are mostly
cacti and succulents that have evolved by storing more water and allowing less transpiration to
occur than other plants. Many of the cacti and succulents have evolved in the way they
photosynthesize. Water, light and Co2 are the essential elements for photosynthesis.
Photosynthesis is the use of sunlight, water and Co2 to synthesize food, sugars for the plant.
Photosynthesis occurs in two stages, they are: The Light dependent Reactions and the Light
independent Reactions. In the Calvin Cycle the Light-independent reactions take place in the
stroma of the chloroplasts. First, Co2 is combined with RuBP to form two molecules of GA3P.
Energy is furnished from ATP and NADPH, which comes from the Light dependent reactions
process and convert GA3P to 6-carbon carbohydrates. In the Calvin Cycle it restarts RuBP to
allow continued carbon fixation. In the light-independent reactions of plants with 4 Carbons,
there are large chloroplasts which contain rubisco in the bundle sheaths. There are also small
chloroplasts that contain higher concentrations of PEP that help convert carbon dioxide to
carbohydrate at lower concentrations than in C3 plants. C4 is one of the ways plants evolved
that lived in drier climates. Carbon dioxide comes from the air through the leaves where the
stoma open and close. Water is absorbed by the roots and is dispersed throughout the plant by
the Xylem. So what happens when there is a lack of water? In plants that have normal amounts
of water, sun light and Co2 the end result is they produce through photosynthesis GA3P

3 carbon sugar phosphate. However, when water is limited and the plant is stressed the plant has
Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) photosynthesis. CAM is similar to C4 photosynthesis
also evolved in some plants that live in arid conditions. Plants with CAM photosynthesis differ
from the C3 plants in their mesophyll which are not as well defined as those of the C3 plants.
CAM photosynthesis can switch to C3 photosynthesis after rain or when night temperatures are
high. When air is hot and arid the stomata closes up during the day and opens in the night when
the air is cooler. This allows the ability to keep water or reduce transpiration in the day and
allow Co2 in during the night. It is this similarity to C3 and not bundle sheath cells of C4 that
resemble the mesophyll of C3 plants.

In the night regular photosynthesis occurs with the 4

carbon compounds that were accumulated at night and in the day they revert back to carbon
dioxide. The carbon dioxide then re- enters the Calvin cycle and C3 metabolism. This all
happens while the stomata are closed.
An interesting example of CAM photosynthesis is found in the Pineapple. The pineapple
carries out CAM photosynthesis. The pineapple is not a cactus. It is an herbaceous perennial.
The pineapple has a short stock stem with a tough waxy exterior. It produces 200 individual
flowers and this is what creates the fruit. Once the flowers mature and drop, the individual fruits
join together to create the single pineapple. The ovaries develop into berries which make it also
an accessory fruit. The pineapple slow growth is an evidence of CAM photosynthesis. CAM

Photosynthesis is a trade-off for plants. Because light reactions and the Calvin Cycle can only
produce in the light, much of the plants gain is lost because it is trying to survive and keep the
moisture in during the light hours. Though slow growing they are able to adapt to the hot
climates. After 12-20 months for the pineapple, the stem grows along with producing 200
flowers. CAM photosynthesis we see especially in cacti and succulents that make plants
adaptable to their environments. The cactus family is exclusive to the Americas. Over hundreds
of different species grow along deserts that stretch from Canada down to Chile. Heat and
drought have made cactus be conditioned to the same response which makes them appear to be
similar sets of plants even though there are so many different species of cactus. One of their
great abilities to survive is the way they can abandon their leaves in an early stage which
prevents a great loss of water as they defend their stored bodies of water with their sharp spines.
The Geography and historical timeline of a plant also affect the amount of transpiration.
After Pangea plants ended up in different climates and had to continually adapt in order to
survive the different climates encountered for billions of years. Evidences found in fossils on the
different continents and climates reveal the way plants evolved. Many have become extinct but
along with evolution the fittest survived and made the necessary adjustments like the C4 and
Plants continue to heal our earth through its life cycle. With global warming on the rise
plants are more necessary than ever to help with our carbons. It is important to understand and
respect the life-cycle of our plants. We are dependent on plants survival.