The Measure oI Transpiration oI Impatien Plants Under ArtiIicial Light to DiIIerent Conditions

Like Sunlight and Darkness

Jonathan Choi
Lab Partners: Patrick Choe, Tanmay Asjia
AP Biology P. 7
April 15, 2011
Abstract:
The objective oI this experiment was to measure which plants under diIIerent light
conditions showed greater signs oI transpiration. Transpiration is the loss oI water vapor Irom
the leaves and is very important in cooling the plant and enabling the Ilow oI nutrients Irom its
roots to its shoots. This experiment determined the amount oI water loss in diIIerent conditions
oI light: artiIicial light, sunlight, and darkness. The results showed that the impatien plants under
the artiIicial light showed greater transpiration while the plants that were in the dark, showed the
least amount oI water loss.
Introduction:
The purpose oI the experiment was to determine which light condition caused more
transpiration. Plants lose an astonishing amount oI water by transpiration, the loss oI water vapor
Irom leaves and other aerial parts oI the plant. The root pressure sometimes causes more water to
enter the leaves than is transpired, resulting in guttation, the exudation oI water droplets.
However, iI this water is not replaced, the plant may wilt and die.
Two important vascular tissues involved in transpiration is the xylem and phloem. The
xylem conducts minerals and water up Irom the roots. The transport oI water in the xylem is
determined by the diIIerences in water potential, which is the potential energy oI water
molecules. Gravity, pressure, and solute concentration all contribute to water potential. The
movement oI the water is Iacilitated by osmosis, root pressure, and adhesion and cohesion oI
water molecules. The phloem carries sugars and nutrients Irom the photosynthetic leaves to the
rest oI the plant by active transport.
Transpiration actually begins with the evaporation oI water through the stomata, small
openings in the leaI surIace which open into air spaces that surround the mesophyll cells oI the
leaI. Because the water potential is higher in these air spaces than the outside air, the water
evaporates Irom the leaI surIace into the air. The water is then moved back into the mesophyll
cells Irom its neighboring mesophyll cells by osmosis. Transpirational pull occurs as each water
molecule moves into a mesophyll cell. This is caused due to the cohesion oI water molecules to
one another, and adhesion oI water molecules to the wall oI the xylem cells.
Most oI the water that is lost in transpiration is due to evaporation through the open
stomates. There are many environmental conditions that inIluence the opening and closing oI
stomates. For example, the depletion oI CO
2
within the air spaces oI the leaI, which occurs when
photosynthesis begins, triggers the stomates to open. However, lack oI water and high
temperatures can cause the stomates to close.


aterials and ethods:
This experiment required six impatien plants provided by the teacher, plastic bags, rubber
bands, sharpies, paper towels, 10 mL graduated cylinders, and a triple beam balance. Fluorescent
light, sunlight, and a cupboard Ior darkness was used Ior the diIIerent conditions oI light.
First, the teacher distributed all the plants among the students. The small plastic bags
were tied around the plants in order to contain the plant and were labeled 1-6 with a sharpie.
Plants 1 and 2 were put under the Iluorescent light. Plants 3 and 4 were put in the cupboard Ior
darkness and plants 5 and 6 were put under sunlight. The initial mass oI each plant was then
taken with the triple beam balance and were recorded. 10 mL oI water was poured into each
plant and the mass was then taken again. AIter recording all the data, the plants were put under
their own light conditions and the same procedure was repeated Ior another Iour days.
Results:
It was evident that the greatest amount oI water loss happened when the impatien plants
were under artiIicial light. The plants that were under sunlight did not transpire as much as the
plants under artiIicial light but it still had a very constant amount oI water loss. However, the
plants in darkness showed very low amounts oI water loss.
Tables and Graphs:
Day 1
Plant # and Condition Initial Weight Weight After Adding Water
Plant 1: Light 83.71 g 93.11 g
Plant 2: Light 104.78 g 113.88 g
Plant 3: Dark 97.59 g 106.72 g
Plant 4: Dark 101.95 g 111.74 g
Plant 5: Sunlight 83.49 g 92.14 g
Plant 6: Sunlight 98.59 g 105.61 g

Day 2
Plant # and
Condition
Weight Before
Adding Water
Water Lost From
Previous Day
Weight After Adding
Water
Plant 1: Light 79.46 g 13.65 g 88.15 g
Plant 2: Light 84.07 g 29.81 g 92.89 g
Plant 3: Dark 99.18 g 7.54 g 107.89 g
Plant 4: Dark 87.45 g 24.29 g 96.60 g
Plant 5: Sunlight 79.96 g 12.18 g 89.12 g
Plant 6: Sunlight 91.28 g 14.33 g 103.72 g

Day 3
Plant # and
Condition
Weight Before
Adding Water
Water Lost From
Previous Day
Weight After Adding
Water
Plant 1: Light 73.42 g 14.73 g 82.87 g
Plant 2: Light 63.35 g 29.54 g 71.78 g
Plant 3: Dark 100.75 g 7.14 g 110.43 g
Plant 4: Dark 88.32 g 8.28 g 97.88 g
Plant 5: Sunlight 77.65 g 11.47 g 87.01 g
Plant 6: Sunlight 86.34 g 17.38 g 97.10 g

Day 4
Plant # and
Condition
Weight Before
Adding Water
Water Lost From
Previous Day
Weight After Adding
Water
Plant 1: Light 68.85 g 14.02 g 78.62 g
Plant 2: Light 51.12 g 20.66 g 62.76 g
Plant 3: Dark 101.53 g 8.90 g 111.37 g
Plant 4: Dark 88.57 g 9.31 g 98.10 g
Plant 5: Sunlight 76.11 g 10.90 g 84.71 g
Plant 6: Sunlight 81.47 g 15.63 g 91.80 g

Day 5
Plant # and Condition Water Loss From Previous
Day
Weight After Water Loss
Plant 1: Light 21.99 g 56.63 g
Plant 2: Light 15.47 g 47.29 g
Plant 3: Dark 7.23 g 104.14 g
Plant 4: Dark 6.34 g 91.76 g
Plant 5: Sunlight 8.81 g 75.90 g
Plant 6: Sunlight 19.66 g 72.14 g

These is the data oI how much water was lost Ior each oI the 5 days.





Average oI Total Water Loss
Plants 1 & 2: Light Plants 3 & 4: Dark Plants 5 & 6:
Sunlight
Day 2 21.73 g 15.92 g 13.26 g
Day 3 22.14 g 7.71 g 14.43 g
Day 4 17.34 g 9.11 g 13.27 g
Day 5 18.73 g 13.57 g 14.24 g

This table shows the average water loss oI each plant through the 5 day time period.

Figure 1:

This Iigure shows the average water loss oI plants 1 and 2 that were under artiIicial light. This
condition had the greatest amount oI water loss.
0
3
6
9
12
15
18
21
24
Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5
Plants 1 & 2: Artificial Light Water Loss
Amount Water Lost (g)
Figure 2:

This Iigure shows the average water loss oI plants 3 and 4 in darkness. This condition did not
have as much water loss as the other experiments.

Figure 3:

Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5

Plants 3 & 4: Darkness Water Loss
Amount Water Lost (g)

Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5

Plants 5 & 6: Sunlight Water Loss
Amount Water Lost (g)
This Iigure shows the average water loss oI plants 5 and 6 under sunlight. This condition had a
constant amount oI water loss. It did not have the greatest amount oI water loss nor did it have
the least amount oI water loss.
Discussion:
The results oI this experiment proved many things. This particular experiment showed
the diIIerences oI the rate oI transpiration and how much water was lost in each oI the impatien
plants. The impatien plants were put under three diIIerent conditions oI light, which included
artiIicial light, sunlight, and darkness.
The results determined that the plants under the artiIicial light transpired more than the
rest oI the plants. It's average water loss per day was greater every time compared to the other
plants. Throughout the Iive day period, plants 1 and 2 had an average water loss oI 19.985 g oI
water. This can be partly due to the Iact that the artiIicial light was on Ior 24 hours all Iive days.
Plants 3 and 4 were the plants that were placed in a cupboard in the lab in order to ensure
complete darkness. Out oI the three conditions oI light, darkness proved to have the least eIIect
oI transpiration on the plants. Throughout the Iive day period, plants 3 and 4 had an average
water loss oI 46.31 g oI water. This makes sense because in order Ior transpiration to have the
most positive eIIect, the plants need to be exposed to light.
Lastly, plants 5 and 6 were placed beside a window so that it would be exposed to
sunlight. This experiment showed a Iair amount oI water loss. Throughout the Iive day period,
plants 5 and 6 had an average water loss oI 13.8g oI water. The results Ior this is also accurate
because it was exposed to light Ior only halI a day. ThereIore, it makes sense that the plants
would not transpire more than plants 1 and 2. Also, another observation oI this particular
experiment was that these plants showed the most constant amount oI water loss. The results
showed all oI the numbers to be around 13g to 14g. Because plants are normally exposed to
sunlight Ior only halI a day, the results Ior this experiment was a success.
AIter seeing all the results oI the three experiments, it was noticeable that the more the
plant is exposed to light, the more it will transpire. The plants under the artiIicial light were
exposed to light all day. ThereIore, it had the greatest amount oI water loss. The plants under
sunlight were only exposed to light Ior a halI a day and had a Iair amount oI water loss. Lastly,
the plants in darkness were not exposed to light at all and showed the least amount oI water loss.
As a result, it is saIe to say the amount oI light a plant obtains is a vital part in transpiration.
While doing the experiments, several errors could have occurred that may have aIIected
the results. For example, when the plants in darkness were taken out oI the cupboard Ior the
recordings, they were exposed to light temporarily which may have aIIected the amount oI water
loss. There may also have been some environmental conditions that could have inIluenced our
results. II there was a cloud or some kind oI shade came over the plants that were under sunlight,
this would cause a variable and a slight change in our results.
References:
1. Campbell, Neil and Jane Reece. Biology 7th edition. San Francisco, CaliIornia: Pearson
Education Inc., 2005.
2. Goldberg, Deborah T. Barrons AP Biology. 2nd ed. Hauppauge, NY: Barron's
Educational Series, Inc., 2007. Print.