Suitable For
Grade 6
Difficulty
2
Time Required
<1 Week
Supervision
Advised
What’s it about?
‘Transpiration’ is a process by which plants take back water to the atmosphere. After absorbing and retaining water from the ground through their roots, plants then release water through structures in their leaves, called ‘stomata’ to the atmosphere. Test the effects that the environment have on the process of ‘transpiration’ in this science experiment:
Topics covered
Transpiration, Stomata, Dehydration
What will I need?
- 2x PLASTIC BOTTLES
- TAP WATER
- 2x BEAN PLANTS
- ALUMINIUM FOIL
- MODELLING CLAY
- KITCHEN SCALE
- 100W LAMP
Procedure (Method)
Unfortunately, this section is only available in the e-book version of the project.
How does it work?
Unfortunately, this section is only available in the e-book version of the project.
The amount of water a plant loses through ‘transpiration’ depends on how often the plant’s ‘stomata’ opens to let water out. Many internal factors affect transpiration, such as the number of stomata, leaf area, the cuticle and the distribution of the ‘stomata’ on the leafs. Most plants have most of the stomata on the lower surface of the leaf, where the stomata are less exposed to environmental conditions. Environmental conditions have the greatest affect on the opening of the plant’s ‘stomata’.
In hot, dry climates such as in a desert, a plant’s stomata would mostly be closed to prevent ‘dehydration’. Similarly, the plant directly under the desk lamp was conserving its water as it was exposed to a hot and dry climate. This plant would have lost the least amount of water in this experiment.
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Why not check out the full worksheet in one of our popular e-books?
This particular science project can be found in any of the following Experiland e-books:
Experiland e-books contain detailed steps, including illustrations, to complete the science projects from start to finish.
