A group of students designed an experiment to measure transpiration rates in a particular species of herbaceous plant. Plants were divided into four groups and were exposed to the following conditions.
| Group I- | Room conditions (light, low humidity, 20° C, and little air movement.) |
| Group II- | Room conditions with increased humidity. |
| Group III- | Room conditions with increased air movement (fan) |
| Group IV- | Room conditions with additional light |
The cumulative water loss due to transpiration of water from each plant was measured at 10-minute intervals for 30 minutes. Water loss was expressed as milliliters of water per square centimeter of leaf surface area. The data for all plants in Group I (room conditions) were averaged. The average cumulative water loss by the plants in Group I is presented in the table below.
|
Average Cumulative Water Loss by the Plants in Group I |
|
|
Time (minutes) |
Average Cumulative Water Loss (milliliter H2O centimeter2) |
|
10 |
3.5 x 10-4 |
|
20 |
7.7 x 10-4 |
|
30 |
10.6 x 10-4 |