Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Regulation of Transpiration by Stomata

Regulation 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.

Responses to Heat and Cold Stress

Responses 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.

Biological Clocks and Seasonal Responses

Biological Clocks and Seasonal Responses

The circadian—or biological—clock is an intrinsic, timekeeping, molecular mechanism that allows plants to coordinate physiological activities over 24-hour cycles called circadian rhythms. Photoperiodism is a collective term for the biological responses of plants to variations in the relative lengths of dark and light periods. The period of light-exposure is called the photoperiod.

Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss

Adaptations 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.

Responses to Drought and Flooding

Responses 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.

Optimal Foraging

Optimal Foraging

How animals obtain and eat their food is called foraging behavior. Foraging can include searching for plants and hunting for prey and depends on the species and environment.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Mechanisms and scales in modeling forest responses to changing disturbance regimes.

The New phytologist·2026

Same author

Lack of Hydraulic Acclimation in Response to Multiple Droughts and Recovery.

Plant, cell & environment·2026

Same author

From roots to canopies: clonal size increases branch vulnerability to embolism and leaf water status in a sub-Mediterranean oak coppice.

Tree physiology·2026

Same author

Forest carbon protocols underestimate climate-driven carbon loss risks.

Nature·2026

Same author

A Global Comparison of Direct and Legacy Effects of Drought on Ecosystem Productivity.

Ecology letters·2026

Same author

Attributing 2019-2024 methane growth using TROPOMI satellite observations.

Science advances·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 17, 2025

Author Spotlight: Unraveling Plant Responses to Abiotic Stresses Using the PlantScreen Robotic Platform

Author Spotlight: Unraveling Plant Responses to Abiotic Stresses Using the PlantScreen Robotic Platform

Published on: June 7, 2024

Optimization theory explains nighttime stomatal responses.

Yujie Wang¹, William R L Anderegg², Martin D Venturas²

¹Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA.

The New Phytologist

|February 12, 2021

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Plants may optimize nighttime water loss (nocturnal transpiration) to balance cooling benefits against reduced daytime photosynthesis. This new model explains why plants lose water at night and can be used for large-scale predictions.

Keywords:

evaporative cooling fitness nocturnal transpiration optimization photosynthesis respiration stomatal conductance

More Related Videos

Relating Stomatal Conductance to Leaf Functional Traits

Relating Stomatal Conductance to Leaf Functional Traits

Published on: October 12, 2015

Author Spotlight: Advancing Stomatal Research with Automated Aperture Measurement

Author Spotlight: Advancing Stomatal Research with Automated Aperture Measurement

Published on: February 9, 2024

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Nov 17, 2025

Author Spotlight: Unraveling Plant Responses to Abiotic Stresses Using the PlantScreen Robotic Platform

Author Spotlight: Unraveling Plant Responses to Abiotic Stresses Using the PlantScreen Robotic Platform

Published on: June 7, 2024

Relating Stomatal Conductance to Leaf Functional Traits

Relating Stomatal Conductance to Leaf Functional Traits

Published on: October 12, 2015

Author Spotlight: Advancing Stomatal Research with Automated Aperture Measurement

Author Spotlight: Advancing Stomatal Research with Automated Aperture Measurement

Published on: February 9, 2024

Area of Science:

Plant physiology
Ecology
Biogeochemistry

Background:

Nocturnal transpiration occurs across species and biomes, impacting global water, carbon, and energy cycles.
The drivers and large-scale modeling of nocturnal water loss remain poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To hypothesize and test a model where plants optimize nighttime leaf diffusive conductance (gwn) to balance benefits and costs.
To quantify benefits of evaporative cooling reducing respiration and costs of reduced daytime carbon gain.

Main Methods:

Measured nighttime stomatal conductance responses in water birch saplings.
Developed an optimality-based model integrating daytime and nighttime stomatal regulation.

Main Results:

The model accurately predicted gwn responses to soil moisture, CO2, leaf temperature, and respiration rate.
Model predictions deviated for air humidity, and results suggested decreasing leaf respiration influences gwn post-sunset.

Conclusions:

An optimality-based model for nocturnal transpiration offers a framework for predicting water loss across scales.
This approach integrates seamlessly with daytime stomatal optimization models, improving ecosystem process understanding.