Transpiration
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Prediction
In this experiment I predict that as the number of leaves on the privet increases so to will the amount of water lost. Any water that will be lost would have gone through the process known as transpiration, the movement of water through the plant, and loss through evaporation to the air.
The water is absorbed from the soil (which has a high concentration of water) into the roots (which have a low concentration of water) by the process of osmosis. It then travels up the xylem to the leaves by capillary action. This is the effect of water molecules clinging to each other and clinging to the sides of the tube. I have seen this occurring in a previous experiment. In that experiment celery was placed in a pot of red dye and left for a short length of time. When the celery was cut in half it was clear that the dye had moved a substantial distance upwards.
After travelling up the xylem, the water is absorbed in to the leaf by osmosis. Inside the leaf the water is essentially used for photosynthesis and to maintain the structure of the leaf...