The factors that affect transpiration are grouped into two. Environmental and Structural Factors Cuticle
Environmental factors
Temperature
- High temperature increases the internal temperature of the leaf.
- This in turn increases kinetic energy of water molecules which increases evaporation.
- High temperatures dry the air around the leaf surface maintaining a high concentration gradient.
- More water vapour is therefore lost from the leaf to the air.
Humidity
- The higher the humidity of the air around the leaf, the lower the rate of transpiration.
- The humidity difference between the inside of the leaf and the outside is called the saturation deficit.
- In dry atmosphere, the saturation deficit is high.
- At such times, transpiration rate is high.
Wind
- Wind carries away water vapour as fast as it diffuses out of the leaves.
- This prevents the air around the leaves from becoming saturated with vapour.
- On a windy day, the rate of transpiration is high.
Light Intensity
- When light intensity is high; more stomata open hence high rate of transpiration.
Atmospheric Pressure
- The lower the atmospheric pressure the higher the kinetic energy of water molecules hence more evaporation.
- Most of the plants at higher altitudes where atmospheric pressure is very low have adaptations to prevent excessive water-loss.
Availability of Water
- The more water there is in the soil, the more is absorbed by the plant and hence a lot of water is lost by transpiration.
Structural Factors Cuticle
Plants growing in arid or semi-arid areas have leaves covered with a thick waxy cuticle.
Stomata
- The more the stomata, the higher the rate of transpiration.
- Xerophytes have few stomata which reduce water-loss.
- Some have sunken stomata which reduces the rate of transpiration as the water vapour accumulates in the pits.
- Others have stomata on the lower leaf surface hence reducing the rate of water-loss.
- Some plants have reversed stomatal rhythm whereby stomata close during the day and open at night.
- This helps to reduce water-loss.
Leaf size and shape
- Plants in wet areas have large surface area for transpiration.
- Xerophytes have small narrow leaves to reduce water-loss.
- The photometer can be used to determine transpiration in different environmental conditions.
Translocation of organic compounds
- Translocation of soluble organic products of photosynthesis within a plant is called translocation.
- It occurs in phloem in sieve tubes.
- Substances translocated include glucose, amino acids, vitamins.
- These are translocated to the growing regions like stem, root apex, storage organs e.g. corms, bulbs and secretory organs such as nectar glands.
Phloem
Phloem is made up of:
- Sieve tubes
- Companion cells
- Parenchyma, a packing tissue
- Schlerenchyma, a strengthening tissue Sieve Tubes
- These are elongated cells arranged end to end along the vertical axis.
- The cross walls are perforated by many pores to make a sieve plate.
- Most organelles disappear and those that remain are pushed to the sides of the sieve tube.
- Cytoplasmic strands pass through the pores in the plate into adjacent cells.
- Food substances are translocated through cytoplasmic strands.
Companion Cells
- Companion cells are small cells with large nuclei and many mitochondria.
- They are found alongside each sieve element.
- The companion cell is connected to the tube through plasmodesmata.
- The mitochondria generate energy required for translocation. Phloem Parenchyma
- These are parenchyma cells between sieve elements.
- They act as packing tissue.
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