Sunday, May 18, 2014

Transpiration Lab



Control
Heater
Light
Fan
Coleus
0.9
3.9
3
6
Zebra Plant
4.2
6.1
3.2
7.6
Weeping Fig
3.3
4.9
6.1
2.5
English Ivy
1.8
3.2
5.1
2.1
Arrowhead
3.6
6.6
7.5
4
Devil’s Ivy
2.9
4.6
4.1
3
Dieffenbachia
4.1
7.7
6
3.9
Geranium
1.2
4.7
5.8
2.4
Rubber Plant
4.9
8.4
6.8
4.3

Above is the data table that I collected doing the virtual lab. And below are the journal analysis questions

1. Describe the process of transpiration in vascular plants

The loss of water is reduced due to the positioning of the stomata being in the lower epidermis instead of the upper epidermis since the lower epidermis receives less sunlight. The stomata opens up for CO2 to enger during photosynthesis while allowing water to evaporate from it.

2. Describe any experimental controls used in the investigation

There are several controls for this investigation including time, amount of wind, amount of light, amount of heat and amount of plant.

3. What environmental factors that you tested increased the rate of transpiration? Was the rate of transpiration increased for all plants tested?

Wind, temperature and light all increased rate of transpiration.. For all plants, increased wind and higher temperature increase the transpiration rate. However, for some plants, the increase in light intensity and amount does not increase the rate of transpiration.

4. Did any of the environmental factors (heat, light, or wind) increase the transpiration rate more than the others? Why?

Wind mostly increased the rate of transpiration the most.Wind shortens the path of water to reach atmosphere thus causing a huge increase in transpiration while higher temperature increases the rate because water will evaporate faster when the temperature is high. A higher temperature means more MOLECULAR MOTION for the water thus speeding up the process of transpiration.

5. Which species of plants that you tested had the highest transpiration rates? Why do you think different species of plants transpire at different rates?

The species with highest transpiration rates were rubber plant, zebra plant, and dieffenbachia. These are all tropical plants, therefore it would be logical that they have a higher transpiration rate because the environment forms higher humidity and higher temperature, thus in this experiment in a normal room, their transpiration rate would be very high.

6. Suppose you coated the leaves of a plant with petroleum jelly. How would the plant's rate of transpiration be affected?

Light will be blocked and the stomata will also be covered, therefore the carbon dioxide would be trapped inside the stomata and water cannot evaporate from the leaves. Thus, there will be no transpiration.

7. Of what value to a plant is the ability to lose water through transpiration?

Losing water is a crucial ability for plants because this is the way for them to operate their metabolism and keep homeostasis. By intaking new water, the plants are able to process photosynthesis and make products such as glucose and oxygen.
                                                                                                                             

Plant Hormones

Auxin

  • Plant hormone produced in the meristems of apical buds; cause plant cells to get longer
  • Indolacetic Acid (IAA)

Ethylene

  • Plant hormone that is produced by ripening fruit and also causes other fruit to ripen
Abscisic Acid

  • Plant hormone that inhibits growth and closes the stomata during dry times

Botany of Desire

Haven't been to class for a while because of APs and golf, lots of make up work to do, lets begin.

In the article botany of desire, Michael Pollan points out some interesting points that I have never thought of before. While most people believe that we are dominant and often control factors of the nature, Pollon counter intuitively points out the opposite. He emphasizes the reliance humans have on these plants while the little reliance those plants have on humans and also the idea that the plants lures and makes humans plant them like we have been for thousands of years.This seemingly complicated relationship that the author is depicting appears to be what we call coevolution. This is the idea that both species/ organisms are evolving at the same time and they rely on each other. For example for apples, they produce a kind of sweetness to attract others to eat them and thus spreading their seeds. While something like tulips uses their natural beauty to attract insects and others to help pollinate and reproduce. The demanding need for cannabis because of its usefulness allows it to spread and reproduce in the forests. And finally, potatoes are quite common due to human influence because of its rich nutritious starch. Here are some images, websites and videos that can help with the topic of coevolution:


http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evosite/evo101/IIIFCoevolution.shtml