The process that involves water moving through a leaf is known as transpiration. Water is taken up by a plant or tree through its roots and then moves up the xylem and phloem tubes. When water reaches the leaf, it leaves in the form of water vapor. This then causes more water to be pulled up through the roots again and explains why the normal rules of gravity do not apply in this instance.
A plant is made up by a series of vascular tubes called xylem and phloem. The xylem tubes draw up sap that contains water and minerals through the roots of the plant. The phloem tubes collect sap from the leaves to other parts of the plant. The water vapor escapes through the leaves through small pores found on the underside called stomata and this process is known as transpiration.
Scientists believe that it is the movement of the sap both in the leaves and the rest of the plant that moves the water around. Through evaporation some of this is lost and as this happens, more sap containing water is then pulled back up into the plant. The xylem cells join together like a tube that goes from the roots right up to the leaves of the plant. It acts just like a drinking straw as it encourages a constant flow of water from the roots right up to the leaves.
The rate of transpiration can be affected by a number of factors. If the amount of water in the ground is scarce, in the event of a drought for example, a plant will not be able to take up as much water. If a plant gets increased light, the stomata increase in size meaning the water vapor will evaporate quicker. In the same way, if the temperature rises the water will evaporate at a faster rate.
A plant is made up by a series of vascular tubes called xylem and phloem. The xylem tubes draw up sap that contains water and minerals through the roots of the plant. The phloem tubes collect sap from the leaves to other parts of the plant. The water vapor escapes through the leaves through small pores found on the underside called stomata and this process is known as transpiration.
Scientists believe that it is the movement of the sap both in the leaves and the rest of the plant that moves the water around. Through evaporation some of this is lost and as this happens, more sap containing water is then pulled back up into the plant. The xylem cells join together like a tube that goes from the roots right up to the leaves of the plant. It acts just like a drinking straw as it encourages a constant flow of water from the roots right up to the leaves.
The rate of transpiration can be affected by a number of factors. If the amount of water in the ground is scarce, in the event of a drought for example, a plant will not be able to take up as much water. If a plant gets increased light, the stomata increase in size meaning the water vapor will evaporate quicker. In the same way, if the temperature rises the water will evaporate at a faster rate.
