Factors That Affect Transpiration

Transpiration – the evaporation of water from a plant’s leaves – drives the movement of water
through a plant. This movement enables the absorption and transport of mineral ions that it
needs for healthy growth. There are lots of factors that affect the rate of transpiration.

The Effect of Plant Adaptations

Many plants have adaptations that help them to photosynthesise as much as possible while losing
as little water as possible.

The thickness of a cuticle: Most leaves have a

waxy cuticle on their top surface that prevents
waxy cuticle
uncontrolled water loss. Plants that live in hot,
dry environments have thicker cuticles.

The number of stomata: Stomata are found on

the underside of leaves, to protect them from
direct sunlight and reduce evaporation of water.
The more stomata a plant has the more water
that evaporates when they are open. At night,
when there is no photosynthesis, most plants
close their stomata to reduce water loss.

The size and number of leaves: A larger size or

number of leaves increases the surface area that
air space is available for gas exchange and absorption of
sunlight. However, this larger surface area also
increases transpiration. If transpiration is higher
than water uptake for too long, the stomata will
close, and the plant will wilt to reduce water
loss. When a plant wilts, the leaves collapse and
stomata hang down which decreases the surface area
available for evaporation. Plants that live in hot,
A cross section of a leaf dry climates often have rolled-up leaves (spines)
to reduce the surface area for evaporation.

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 Factors That Affect Transpiration

The Effect of the Environment

Any condition that affects the rate of evaporation, or photosynthesis, will affect the rate of
transpiration.

Light intensity: An increase in light intensity increases the rate of photosynthesis. This means
that the stomata open to let more carbon dioxide diffuse in and more oxygen diffuse out. As a
result, the rate at which water is lost through the stomata is also increased.

The temperature: An increase in temperature increases the rate of photosynthesis, so more

stomata open for gas exchange, increasing water loss too. Also, an increase in temperature
increases the rate of evaporation. The higher the temperature, the faster the molecules of
water move around. This means that more molecules escape from the liquid’s surface and the
evaporation of water into the leaf’s air spaces increases. The increase in the molecules’ speed also
means that diffusion occurs more rapidly.

The humidity: Humidity is the water content of the air. In dry conditions, there is a steeper
concentration gradient between the air spaces inside the leaf and the dry atmosphere. This means
water vapour diffuses more rapidly into the air. Plants that live in dry climates use rolled leaves,
leaf hairs or stomata sunk in pits to trap moist air around the leaf. These adaptations increase the
humidity and reduce the diffusion of water vapour.

The wind: Windy conditions increase the rate of evaporation. When wind moves over the surface
of a leaf, it carries away water vapour from the air surrounding it. This process means there is extra
room for water molecules to evaporate into the air. The wind also increases the concentration
gradient between the inside and outside of the leaf, which increases the rate of diffusion of water
vapour into the air.

The water supply: If water is less available in the soil, there will be a smaller concentration
gradient between the water in the soil and the water in the roots. This will reduce the movement
of water into the roots by osmosis and limit transpiration.

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