Have you tried to breathe out in the open on a cold day?
You must have seen tiny droplets of water vapor in your breath.
similarly, plants also try to breathe out through their leaves.
The exchange of gases takes place between the leaves and the
external atmosphere. During photosynthesis, plants take in carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) from the air and soil and give
out oxygen. So they purify the air.
How do plants breathe?
You will need:
- a healthy potted plant with many green leaves
- a plastic bag
- string
- Water the potted plant properly. Let the excess water drain out through the hole in the base.
- Put a plastic bag over the plant. Use a string to tie the bag around the small pot.
- Place the pot near a sunny window.
- Observe the plant the next day.
What do you see?
There are droplets of water present on the inside of the bag. This water is given
out by the leaves of the plant during transpiration. Loss of water vapor in
transpiration occurs through the stomata in the epidermis. Stomata are present
not only in the leaves but also in certain fruits like bananas. Plants that grow in
dry environments and in areas that receive a lot of light have small and more
many stomata than those in wet and shaded environments. Many broad-
leaved plants have stomata on both surfaces of the leaf. Most of the water
from the roots is lost by transpiration.
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