Related Concept Videos
02:45Responses to Heat and Cold Stress
Every organism has an optimum temperature range within which healthy growth and physiological functioning can occur. At the ends of this range, there will be a minimum and maximum temperature that interrupt biological processes.
01:57Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss
Though evaporation from plant leaves drives transpiration, it also results in loss of water. Because water is critical for photosynthetic reactions and other cellular processes, evolutionary pressures on plants in different environments have driven the acquisition of adaptations that reduce water loss.
02:04Regulation of Transpiration by Stomata
During photosynthesis, plants acquire the necessary carbon dioxide and release the produced oxygen back into the atmosphere. Openings in the epidermis of plant leaves is the site of this exchange of gasses. A single opening is called a stoma—derived from the Greek word for “mouth.” Stomata open and close in response to a variety of environmental cues.
02:03Xylem and Transpiration-driven Transport of Resources
The xylem of vascular plants distributes water and dissolved minerals that are taken up by the roots to the rest of the plant. The cells that transport xylem sap are dead upon maturity, and the movement of xylem sap is a passive process.
02:41Responses to Drought and Flooding
Water plays a significant role in the life cycle of plants. However, insufficient or excess of water can be detrimental and pose a serious threat to plants.
02:16Light Acquisition
In order to produce glucose, plants need to capture sufficient light energy. Many modern plants have evolved leaves specialized for light acquisition. Leaves can be only millimeters in width or tens of meters wide, depending on the environment. Due to competition for sunlight, evolution has driven the evolution of increasingly larger leaves and taller plants, to avoid shading by their neighbors with contaminant elaboration of root architecture and mechanisms to transport water and nutrients.
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Planta·2014
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 11, 2026
07:08
Identification of Novel Regulators of Plant Transpiration by Large-Scale Thermal Imaging Screening in Helianthus Annuus
Published on: January 30, 2020
Transpiration: Its Effects on Plant Leaf Temperature.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|May 1, 1964
Summary
Tomato leaf temperature varies due to transpiration, influenced by air movement and stomatal opening. Open stomata lead to cooler leaf temperatures compared to closed ones.
Area of Science:
- Plant physiology
- Leaf thermal properties
Background:
- Transpiration significantly impacts leaf temperature.
- Air velocity influences heat exchange mechanisms on leaf surfaces.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the temperature gradient across tomato leaflets.
- To understand the role of transpiration and air movement in leaf thermal regulation.
Main Methods:
- Measuring temperature gradients on tomato leaflets.
- Observing the effects of varying air velocities.
- Comparing leaf temperatures with naturally open versus artificially closed stomata.
Main Results:
- A significant temperature gradient was observed across tomato leaflets.
- Transpiration's effectiveness in cooling is highest at low air velocities; convection dominates at higher velocities.
- Leaves with open stomata were approximately 5°C cooler than those with closed stomata.
Conclusions:
- Transpiration is a key factor in establishing leaf temperature gradients.
- Stomatal aperture, regulated by light, plays a crucial role in leaf thermal homeostasis.