Transpiration Lab Report

Instructions: In this lab activity, you may investigate one of many scientific questions related to
transpiration, plant adaptation, and the effects of environmental factors on plant behavior. Once
you have selected your scientific question, you will design an investigation to test it, collect and
analyze data, and form a conclusion. Submit your lab report to your instructor when completed.

Title:

Transpiration Lab

Objective(s):

Listed below are possible questions you could investigate related to transpiration, plant
adaptation, or the effects of environmental factors on plant behavior. You may select from one of
these questions or create your own. Once you determine your investigative question, create your
related objectives in this section.

Investigate the various effects of environmental factors on the rate of transpiration in

plants.

 Do all plants respire at the same rate?

 What environmental factors can affect the rate of transpiration?
 Is transpiration rate related to the number of stomata on leaves?
 Do structural differences of plants affect their rate of transpiration?
 Does the solute concentration of water absorbed by the plant affect transpiration?

*Environmental factors can be wind, light versus dark, or temperature but are not limited to these options.

Hypothesis:

Write a prediction for your selected investigative question. Be sure your prediction compares the
action of your independent variable to your dependent variable. Use an "if /then” format for each
hypothesis statement.

Light: If the plant is left in light conditions, then the plant’s stomata will open to take in carbon
dioxide to perform photosynthesis, which would lead to an increased transpiration rate.

Wind: If the plant is exposed to windy conditions (fan), then this plant will have the highest rate
of transpiration because the air removes water vapor from the leaf’s surroundings. This causes
the leaf to have a higher water potential relative to the surrounding air.

Dark: If the plant is left in dark conditions, then the rate of transpiration will decrease because
the plant will not be able to perform photosynthesis.

Lab Safety:
  Wash your hands before and after handling lab materials.
 It is important to always protect your eyes during lab activities. Wear protective goggles
whenever possible.
 When working at the kitchen counter or table, be sure to protect the workspace from
spills and clean up any splashes or spills immediately.
 All materials in this lab activity are safe to dispose in the garbage (solids) and down the
drain (liquids only).

Procedure:

The summary of steps for this section depend on the question you would like to investigate. A
common way to test the rate of transpiration is by the “whole plant method.” The general steps
for this method are below. You will need to modify and add to these steps based on your
investigation. You are responsible for creating and recording all procedures you plan to
follow.

Suggested Materials:

Small potted plants with lots of leaves and no/few flowers

One-gallon plastic food storage bags w/out zip-lock

Fan, heat lamp, salt (if testing environmental factors)

String

Water

Whole Plant Method Summary of Steps

1. Saturate each plant with water (or your solution if you are testing the effects of
solute concentration) the day before beginning your investigation.
2. Don’t forget to include a control, a plant that is not subjected to your experimental
variable.
3. Do not water your plant again until after you have finished your experiment.
4. For each plant, remove the roots with surrounding soil (keeping both intact) and
wrap it in a plastic bag.
5. Tie the top of the bag around the base of the stem so only the leaves are exposed.
6. Place each plant base (wrapped in plastic) back into its pot.
7. Be sure to remove any flowers from your plant.
8. Determine the initial weight of each plant using a kitchen or bathroom scale. (Be
sure to note the unit of measurement in your data and graph later.)
 9. Weigh your plants each day at the same time for four days. (Be sure your plants
are under your selected environmental condition if you are testing environmental
factors).
10. Modify these steps based on your investigative question.

Variables:

List and explain your controlled variables, independent variable, and dependent variable for your
investigation.

Remember, controlled variables are factors that remain the same throughout the experiment. An
independent (test) variable changes so that the experimenter can see the effect on other variables.
The dependent (outcome) variable will change in response to the test variable.

Controlled variables: The type of plant, type of measuring scale, room temperature, the
amount of water given to each plant, and the length of the experiment

Independent variable: Environmental factors. (Light, fan, dark.)

Dependent variable: The amount of water lost by the plant. (Transpiration rate)

Data:

Complete the table to organize the data you have collected in this investigation. Don’t forget to
record measurements with the correct number of significant figures.

Plant Initial Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 % Change in Mass

Mass
Day 1
Light 477 g 460g 451 g 443g -7.13 %
Dark 552 g 546 g 538 g 531 g -3.8 %
Fan 491 g 463 g 445 g 430 g -12.42 %
Control 461 g 454 g 443 g 437 g -5.2 %
 Plant  Cumulative  Cumulative Cumulative %
% Change % Change Change for
for day 2 for day 3 day 4

 Contr  -1.5 %  -3.9 %  -5.2 %

ol
 Light - 3.6 %  -5.5 %  -7.13 %

 Dark  -1 %  -2 %  -3.8 %

 Fan  -5.7 %  -9.3 %  -12.42 %

Graph:

Graph the change in your independent variable (x-axis) to the change in your dependent variable
(y axis).

Conclusion:

Write a conclusion statement that addresses the following questions:

 How did your experimental variable affect the rate of transpiration in your plants?
Explain your results.
Light increased the rate of transpiration in the plant. The stomata open in response to
light to allow the uptake of carbon dioxide to perform photosynthesis. Light also
increases transpiration by heating the leaf. Under the windy condition, the transpiration
rate also increased because the air from the fan removed moisture from the leaf’s
surroundings. This caused the inside of the leaf to have a higher water potential relative
to the environment which resulted in a rapid loss of water. In the dark, the stoma in the
leaves are generally closed, which consequently decreased the rate of transpiration.
How does your graphical data support your conclusion?
The graphical data showed that the wind and light plants transpired the most, while the dark
plant transpired the least. This data supports my conclusion about the experiment.
 Does your data support or fail to support your hypotheses?
 The data from the experiment proved my hypotheses to be correct. The plants exposed to
bright and windy conditions showed a higher rate of transpiration relative to the plants in
other conditions.
Discuss any possible sources of error that could have impacted the results of this
investigation.
Possible sources of error could be the type of plant chosen for this experiment or the
accuracy of the scale used to weigh the plants.

Lab Reflection Questions

Answer the reflection questions, using what you have learned from the lesson and your
experimental data. It will be helpful to refer to your class notes. Answer questions in complete
sentences.

1. What type of solution (isotonic, hypertonic, or hypotonic) do you think could have the
greatest negative effect on transpiration and why? (If you tested solute concentrations in
plants, use your results to support your answer.)
The rate of transpiration is dependent on the absorption of water by the roots. A
hypertonic solution causes the roots to lose water thus dehydrating the plant. This results
in the closure of the stoma in an effort to prevent further water loss.
2. What structural plant adaptations could affect the rate of transpiration? (If you tested
structural differences in plants, use your results to support your answer.)
Xerophytes have many structural adaptations that enable them to survive in arid
conditions. For example, cacti have reduced leaves to prevent excessive water loss. In the
Oleander plant, stomata are recessed in cavities. This structural adaptation reduces the
rate of transpiration by protecting the stomata from the hot, dry wind.
3. Is it possible to predict which of your tested plants may have more stomata per mm2 than
the others? Why or why or not?
If the four plants had similar leaf surface area and were exposed to the same conditions for a few
days, then it would be reasonable to conclude that the plant that shows the greatest percent
change in mass may have more stomata per mm2 than the others.
4. Describe the properties of water that influenced your investigation and how this was
reflected in your results. (Properties of water can include, but are not limited to, water
potential, adhesion, cohesion, and surface tension.)
Water potential allows water to flow from areas of higher water potential to areas of
lower water potential. Because the plant’s leaves have a lower water potential than the
roots, water moves upward through the xylem by the properties of cohesion and
adhesion. The windy and bright conditions in the experiment caused the inside of the
leaves to have a higher water potential relative to the environment increasing the rate of
transpiration.
Students testing the effects of solute concentration in soil on plant transpiration noticed a
significant decrease in transpiration when abscisic acid was used as the solute. Even at
molar concentrations less than 0.2 M, transpiration seemed to stop almost completely.

a) Make a claim as to which structural and/or physiological component of

transpiration is affected by the presence of abscisic acid.
Abscisic acid is a plant hormone produced in roots and leaves in response to drought
stress. This hormone signals the guard cells to close the stomata.

b) Explain the reasoning that supports your claim.

Plants are adapted to survive in a variety of environmental challenges by limiting

the amount of water lost through transpiration. The plant’s stomata are triggered
to close in the presence of the hormone abscisic acid to prevent excessive water
loss.