MEMPHIS JUNIOR SCIENCE ASSOCIATION
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Leaf Transpiration!

Key Concepts

Picture

Materials: 
1         Tree or Bush
1         Large Ziplock Plastic Bag 


Activity Directions:
  1. Find a low-hanging branch on a tree or bush. Put a bunch of leaves in a plastic bag, then seal the plastic bag as much as you can. 
  2. Use duct tape to seal the end of the bag and tape the bag to the branch of the plant so the bag is completely airtight. 
  3. Come back in a few hours and again the next day. Notice how the bag changes.

Discussion Questions & Science Explanations:
  1. How do plants obtain water?
    1. Vascular plants (which include trees and bushes) absorb water in their roots and transport it to their leaves using special tissue called xylem.  Once the water reaches the leaves, the plants use it to perform photosynthesis. 
  2. What is transpiration?
    1. Transpiration is the loss of water from plant stems and leaves. Light energy from the sun causes liquid water inside the plant’s leaves or stems to evaporate and become water vapor in the air surrounding the plant. 
  3. Why did liquid water appear in the bag?
    1. Transpiration adds water vapor to the air in the bag. As the water vapor in the air cools, it condenses and becomes liquid water in the bottom of the bag. 
  4. Do you notice dew on your grass in the morning? How is dew similar to the water you find in the bag? 
    1. Dew forms when the water vapor in the air condenses into liquid water on leaves. You usually find dew in the morning because air is colder at night which causes more water vapor to condense. The water in the bag is not the same as dew because dew comes from water vapor in the air surrounding the plant while the water in the bag comes from inside of the plant. However, the water in the bottom of the bag and dew both form because water vapor condenses into liquid water.

Additional Experimentation:
  1. Try the same procedure on different types of plants. How does this affect the results?
  2. Try the same procedure on different parts of the plant such as the roots or bark. Do these parts of the plant cause the same amount of condensation to form in the bag?

Suggested video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9clgg5fwn2o
Published 7.4.2020

Author: Anna Hudson

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  • Home
  • About Us
  • Memphis, TN
    • Science Storytime
    • Science After School
    • Y on the Fly
    • Senior Technology Education Program
    • K-5 Science Challenge
    • MS Science Challenge
    • Girls’ Science Discovery Day
    • Elementary Invitational
  • Museum Partnerships
    • Huntsville, AL
    • Jackson, MS >
      • Science Spectacular
      • Sensational Science
    • St. Louis, MO
    • Little Rock, AR
    • Lexington, KY
  • challenges
    • Little Rock Challenge
    • Huntsville Challenge
    • Memphis Elementary Challenge
    • Memphis Middle School Challenge
  • Calendar
  • Gallery
  • Science at Home
    • Science Projects >
      • Make Your Own Volcano!
      • Make Your Own Potato Clock!
      • Grow Your Own Sugar Crystal!!
      • Dye Your Own Flowers!
      • Dissolving Egg Shells!
      • Make a pH indicator!
      • Pepper and Soap Experiment!
      • Sundial!
      • Coke and Mentos!
      • Carbon Sugar Snake!
      • Extracting Iron from Cereal!​
      • Blowing up Balloons!
      • Leaf Transpiration!
      • Create a Density Column!
      • Make Your Own Compost!
      • Make Your Own Ice Cream!
      • Maka a Lava Lamp!
      • Skittles Science Experiment!
      • Walking Water!
      • Rolling a Can with Electricity!
      • Ice Tray Battery!
      • Imploding Can!
      • Steel Wool in Vinegar!
      • Invisible Ink!
      • Supercooling Water!
      • Picking Up Ice Cubes!
      • Polar Bear Blubber!
      • Fireworks in Water!
      • Cleaning Pennies!
      • Cleaning Pennies - Extended!
    • Astronomy >
      • Constellation Cups
      • Layers of the Earth!
      • Moon Phases Flipbook!
      • Layers of the Atmosphere!
      • Black Holes!
      • Gravity!
      • Eclipses!
      • Nebulae!
      • The Solar System
      • Clouds in a Jar!
      • Mars!
      • Telescopes!
      • Solar Oven!
      • Stars!
      • Comets!
      • Astronauts!
      • Polar Lights!
      • Venus!
    • Anatomy >
      • The Skeletal System
      • The Respiratory System
      • The Digestive System
      • The Circulatory System
      • The Endocrine System
      • The Nervous System
      • The Integumentary System
      • Lung Cancer
      • Lukemia
      • Lymphoma
      • Pancreatic Cancer
      • Renal Cancer
      • Bile Duct Cancer
      • Mitosis and The Cell Cycle