What is transpiration?

What is transpiration?

• A. The uptake of water by roots
• B. The production of sugars
• C. The loss of water from a plant
• D. The release of seeds

Answer: (C)

Transpiration is the loss of water from a plant, mainly as water vapor leaving through the stomata on the leaves. Water moves from the soil into the roots, up through the xylem, and reaches the leaves where it can evaporate from cell surfaces and exit to the air. This flow helps pull more water up the plant and also cools the plant as evaporation occurs. The process is regulated by stomatal opening and is influenced by factors like temperature, humidity, wind, light, and soil moisture. The other ideas—uptake of water by roots (water absorption), production of sugars (photosynthesis), and release of seeds (reproduction)—are not transpiration.

Transpiration is the loss of water from a plant, mainly as water vapor leaving through the stomata on the leaves. Water moves from the soil into the roots, up through the xylem, and reaches the leaves where it can evaporate from cell surfaces and exit to the air. This flow helps pull more water up the plant and also cools the plant as evaporation occurs. The process is regulated by stomatal opening and is influenced by factors like temperature, humidity, wind, light, and soil moisture. The other ideas—uptake of water by roots (water absorption), production of sugars (photosynthesis), and release of seeds (reproduction)—are not transpiration.