Movement of Water Essay :)

   The process of water movement through the xylem and out the stomates is called transpiration. During transpiration water moves from the soil through a vascular plant. There is four major contributers that take place during transpiration. They are the tissues being traversed, the processes and forces involved, enviromental factors which are conductive to a high rate of transpiration, and the effects of the process upon the plant.
   The plant tissues that are being traversed is the symplast and the apoplast. The functions of the symplast and the apoplast is transporting water and minerals through the plant. The difference between symplast and apoplast is that apoplast is the continuum of cell walls plus extracellular spaces and the symplast is the continuum of cytosol connected by plasmodesmata.
   The processes and forces involved in transpiration is transpirational pull. This is when water vapor in the airspaces of a leaf diffuses down its water potential gradient and exits the leaf via stomata. Transpiration produces negative pressure in the leaf which exerts a pulling force on water in the xylem, pulling water into the leaf.
   The enviromental factors which are conductive to a high rate of transpiration is air temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed, . Plants transpire faster in higher temperatures and in more sunlight. Humidity causes increase in diffusion and it happens more rapidly. Wind can reduce the rate of transpiration because it can carry humid air away and replace it with drier air.
  Lastly the effects of transpiration on plants. The plant can get dehydrated because each day the plant rehydrates as the soil dries out and this rehydration is not complete causing it not to get enough water. Then this can affect the plant's growth, photosynthesis and transpiration.
   In conclusion, I have learned that transpiration is the evaporation of water particles from plant surfaces, especially from the surface openings, or stomates, on leaves.  Stomatal transpiration accounts for most of the water loss by a plant, but some direct evaporation also takes place through the surfaces of the epidermal cells of the leaves. Water movement is very important during this process. Transpiration causes pressure in the plant making water shoot up into the xylem. Also many things can affect this process like enviromental factors for instance temperature can increase this process rapidly. Transpiration can also effect the plant by drying it out causing the plant to wilt. As you can see transpiration can be a complicated process buts its how plants get water to move through them.