What Role Do Plants Play in the Water Cycle?

Plants remain one of the chief sources of water in the ecosystem. Through an invisible process known as transpiration, plants remain active players in the water cycle because they absorb ground water with their stems and return it to the environment through their leaves.

Benefits

Water that plants collect is used in photosynthesis and returns to the atmosphere by transpiration.

Effects

When water returns to the atmosphere by evaporation, plants add much-needed moisture to environments experiencing dry periods.

Function

Through their roots, plants absorb water and nutrients from the soil and distributes it throughout the stems and leaves. Evaporation takes place on the surfaces of leaves.

Geography

Geography may play a key role in determining how much water plants are capable of transpiring. For example, colder climates inhibit transpiration by causing the cells, which release water, to close.

Fun Fact

At certain times, a plant's leaves transpire gallons of water on a daily basis. The leaves of an oak tree are capable of transpiring 40,000 gallons of water each year.

References

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association
• USGS

Resources

• USGS