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transpiration
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Discover how water moves through plants, including osmosis and transpiration
stoma with guard cells Diagram showing the process of water movement through a tree, with labeled sections for absorption in the roots, cohesion in the trunk, and transpiration in the leaves. Insets illustrate water uptake by root hairs, upward movement through xylem, and evaporation from leaf stomata.
Compare differences in the leaf structures and environments of flowering dicots, ferns, pine trees, and cacti
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water glass on white background. (drink; clear; clean water; liquid)
Water and its Varying Forms
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transpiration

botany
Written by
Melissa Petruzzello
Melissa Petruzzello (she/her) is Assistant Managing Editor and covers plants, algae, fungi, insects, spiders, renewable energy and environmental engineering. She also handles certain topics in Christianity,...
Melissa Petruzzello
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
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ā€¢History

transpiration, in botany, a plantā€™s loss of water, mainly through the stomata of leaves. Stomatal openings are necessary to admit carbon dioxide to the leaf interior and to allow oxygen to escape during photosynthesis. Hence, transpiration is generally considered to be merely an unavoidable phenomenon that accompanies the real functions of the stomata. It has been proposed that transpiration provides the energy to transport water in the plant and may aid in heat dissipation in...

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