How Does Wind Affect Transpiration?
When wind movement around a given plant increases, the rate of transpiration is bound to increase. The wind movement causes a rapid replacement of moist air with drier air around the given plant, which is why the rate of transpiration inevitably increases.
Transpiration is defined as the process through which plants lose water or moisture from tiny holes on their leaves into the atmosphere. The tiny holes on the leaves are known as stomata. This process can either be rapid or slow depending on several factors.
One of the factors that affect transpiration is the rate of wind movement around a given plant. When there is a high rate of wind activity, transpiration is relatively higher since the moist or humid air around the plant is quickly replaced by less humid air allowing the plant to release even more water into the atmosphere. Other factors that affect transpiration include:
- Type of plant: plants in arid areas are likely to have adaptations that make transpiration rate slow.
- Temperature: if the temperature goes up, the rate of transpiration is also bound to go up.
- Humidity: plants in humid regions or deserts are likely to have slower transpiration rates as compared to those in less humid regions.
