For an experiment, Samantha purchased three potted plants that each had different amounts of leaves. She weighed each plant individually before placing the plants outside in direct sunlight. Every four hours, Samantha weighed each of the plants again. During her experiment, the plants did not receive any water. The table below shows the data she collected throughout her experiment.

Question

Amount of
Leaves 8 AM Weight
(lb) 12 PM Weight
(lb) 4 PM Weight
(lb)
few leaves 38.0 38.0 37.5
some leaves 38.0 37.5 36.5
many leaves 38.0 37.5 36.0

What conclusion about transpiration can Samantha make based on the data from her experiment?
A.
For all plants, most of the water vapor was released into the air during the morning.
B.
Plants that weigh more release less water vapor into the air throughout the day.
C.
Plants with many leaves release more water vapor into the air throughout the day.
D.
Plants with few leaves release more water vapor in the air than plants with some leaves.

Answer 1

Based on the data collected by Samantha in her experiment, the most appropriate conclusion about transpiration would be:

C. Plants with many leaves release more water vapor into the air throughout the day.

This conclusion can be inferred from the observation that the plant with the most leaves (the one categorized as having "many leaves") consistently weighed the least by the end of the day, suggesting it lost more weight (and thus more water vapor) compared to the other plants. The more leaves a plant has, the more surface area there is for transpiration, leading to potentially greater water loss into the air.