Potometer

Understand the process of transpiration.

Understand that more transpiration occurs from the under surface of a leaf.
Understand the role of stomata during transpiration.

Think and Answer

1. Transpiration takes place from ________________. Checklist for Activity
a) All parts of the plant
b) Leaves Syringe -1
c) Only the aerial parts
d) Stem Transparent ordinary tube
Rubber sheet (14 x 10 cm)
2. Stomata are present on the __________ of the Rubber sheet (12 x 8 cm)
leaves.
a) upper surface only Cobalt chloride paper strips -2
b) lower surface only Paper clips - 2
c) mostly upper surface Cover slip
d) mostly lower surface
Microscopic slide
3. Why do plants growing in dry areas
or deserts hardly contain leaves?
a) To increase the water loss
b) To reduce the water loss • A fully grown tree may lose several hundred
c) For photosynthesis to not take place. gallons of water through its leaves on a hot, dry
d) For transpiration to not take place.
day. About 90% of the water that enters a plant's
4. What is the major difference you can roots is used for this process.
observe between the desert areas and • Desert plants and conifers have specially
thickly vegetated regions?
adapted structures such as thick cuticles, reduced
a) Biome only can be observed at
vegetative regions. leaf areas, sunken stomata and hairs to reduce
b) No plants grow in deserts transpiration and conserve water.
c) Cooling effect, high oxygen
• Many desert plants have a special type of
photosynthesis, in which the stomata are closed
Why do you think so? during the day and open at night when transpiration
will be lower.

• Because water transpired through leaves comes

from the roots, plants with deep reaching roots can
more constantly transpire water. S
ACT
F
N
FU

Safety Tips For Activity

are General care to be taken while using scissors.
Handle the microscopes carefully.

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E xperimentation
b servations

1. Why are we inserting the slant cut shoot at one end and the syringe at
the other end?

a) They help in understanding the rate of photosynthesis.

b) They help in understanding the plant growth.
c) They help in understanding the rate of water lose through plant.
d) They help in removing the water from the plant.

2. Look at the picture. Why has the water level varied after
30 minutes? What might have happened there? What are the
conditions required? How much ml of water has been lost?

Explain your views?

3. When water is lost through plants, which of the following helps in escaping the water molecules from plant?

a) Guard-cells
b) Xylem vessels
c) Sieve tubes
d) Stomata

Justify your answer?

4. In one of the experiments to demonstrate transpiration, we used cobalt chloride paper. What are the
characteristics of this paper that suit the experiment?

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5. After placing cobalt chloride paper on both the sides of the leaf,
the lower side of the leaf turns the paper pink. Why?

a) The lower side is not exposed to sunlight.

b) More oxygen is released.
c) More water is lost due to more number of stomata.
d) More water is lost due to less number of stomata.

Observations:
Fill in the table by observing the water lost by the plant in the sun light:

Sample plant Initial water volume Volume of water lost Inferences

Shoots
After 10 min

After 20 min

After 30 min

Place the Potometer at different conditions. After 30 minutes, how does the transpiration rate vary in those
conditions when compared to the plant that is placed in normal conditions (control plant)?

Condition Transpiration Rate Explain

Humidity

Wind

Light

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 A ssessment

1. Stomata open and close due to _____________.

1. presence of valves
2. hormonal control
3. turgor pressure of guard cells
4. concentration gradient of the gases

2 . The opening and closing of stomata is operated by which cells?

a) Stomatal cells
b) Guard cells
c) Stem cells
d) Leaf cells

3. Which of the factors affect the rate of transpiration?

a) Sun light
b) Wind
c) Humidity
d) Temperature
e) All of the above
What is the reason for your answer?

S cientific Principle

Transpiration:
All plants continuously absorb water through their roots. This water is conducted upwards from their roots. This
water is conducted upwards through the stem and is distributed to all the aerial parts including the leaves. Only a
small quantity of this water is used by the plant in photosynthesis and other activities. The rest of it is almost lost to
the atmosphere as water vapour during transpiration.
Transpiration is the loss of water as water vapour from the aerial
parts of the plant.

How the water moves upwards in plants:

Surprisingly, the movement of water upwards requires very little or no
energy from the plant. Pressure develops in roots due to continuous inflow
of water. This pushes the sap containing water & minerals upwards from the
roots through xylem into stem & leaves till a certain height. This is the
ascent of sap.

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 There is also a pressure change between the top and Stomata collectively refer to dotted openings on the leaf
bottom of the xylem vessels due to transpiration. This surfaces. In most plants they are more numerous on the
reduces the pressure of water at the top of the undersides of the foliage. The stomata are bordered by
vessels. This means water moves up the xylem vessels. guard cells that open and close the pore.
Water is absorbed by xylem tissues by the property The rate of transpiration is directly related to the degree
of capillary force (attraction of water molecules of stomatal opening, and to the evaporative demands of
towards narrow spaces) & surface tension. Hydrogen the atmosphere surrounding the leaf.
bonds exist between water molecules which cause
them to line up. As the molecules at the top of the
plant evaporate, they pull the next one up to replace
it, which in turn pulls on the next one in line. Water
diffuses up the leaf through the xylem tissues. The
constant loss of water from the plant by diffusion
through its stomata to the atmosphere is called
transpiration. More transpiration occurs from the under-surface of the
leaf. There are more stomatal openings on the under
Transpiration is affected by: surface of a dicot leaf and therefore, more transpiration
occurs from the under surface. The piece of paper which
a. Sunlight: During daytime, stomata are open for is facing the upper surface of the leaf either does not
Photosynthesis. But during night time, it is closed. So, turn pink or turns pink in a much longer time than the one
hardly any transpiration takes place. on the lower surface which turns pink much faster. This
b. Temperature: Transpiration takes place at a proves that more transpiration takes place from the lower
greater rate during hot summer days than in cold surface, which is on account of the numerous stomata
winter. found on it.
c. Wind: Wind blows away the water vapor from
leaves at a faster rate.
d. Humidity (moisture in air): If air is humid, there is
less transpiration. Air cannot hold any water molecules
when it is already laden with moisture.

R eal Life Applications

• Transpiration is responsible for plant growth & hence maintaining a balanced ecosys-
tem. Evapo-transpiration is an important part of the water cycle.
Transpiration rate of plants can be measured by a number of techniques, including
potometers, lysimeters, porometers, and heat balance sap flow gauges.
• Transpiration helps in:
a. Cooling effect: Plants cool themselves when it is hot outside. The latent heat in the
plant helps in evaporation of water keeping the air around it cooler. Since the water
molecules in air become heavier, they settle down & make the surroundings pleasant.
b. It enables mass flow of mineral nutrients and water from roots to shoots maintain-
ing the sap concentration. If there is no transpiration, sap gets diluted preventing the
water & mineral absorption required by the plant.

Extensions/ Challenges
• Replicate the experiment by placing four similar shoots - one directly under the sun, another one in dark,
another one in front of a fan & the fourth one inside a refrigerator for about two hours. Observe the amount of
water before & after the experiment & infer.

• In the absence of transpiration pull, living root cells passively absorb water via osmosis creating root pressure. It is
possible for there to be no evapo-transpiration (Evaporation+Transpiration) and therefore no pull of water towards the
shoots and leaves. This is usually due to high temperatures, high humidity, darkness or drought.
FUN FACTS

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My Notes

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