The Effects of Transpiration on Transpiration

Overview

Objectives/Goals The goal of my project was to investigate how wind current affects transpiration in plants. I predicted that wind will increase transpiration in geranium and cactus plants, and that the rate of transpiration in geranium plants will be greater than cactus plants. Methods/Materials In this experiment, 20 plants were covered with plastic bags and twist ties to make sure the water in the soil didn't evaporate. Ten of the plants, 5 cacti and 5 geraniums, were exposed to wind the fist day, while the other plants, 5 cacti and 5 geraniums, had no wind. I weighed them every hour, for 7 hours, to measure how much water they would transpire. The next day I switched the plants so that the 10 with wind had no wind and the 10 without wind had wind. I recorded the results in my science log. Results I found that the mean decrease in mass for the geranium control group (X=2.33g, or 2.33 ml of water lost during transpiration) was significantly less than the geranium experimental (wind) group (X=3.84g). The mean decrease for the cactus experimental group (X=.49g) was significantly less than the cactus experimental group (X=2.10g). The transpiration rate was greater for the geranium control compared to the cactus control group, and greater for the geranium experimental compared to the cactus experimental group. Conclusions/Discussion Wind increased the transpiration rate in geranium and cactus plants. Knowing about transpiration is important because it could affect weather patterns on a larger scale and could impact the growth of other plants.

Competition history

• CSEF 2002 Plant Biology · Entry J1615

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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