What is the affect of water on plants?

Question

i'm doing a science fair project and i need to know some background info about plants. The project is to know that affect of different liquids on the plant, but first i must know tha general affect. Anytiing you have to say will really help me out. ^-^

Answer 1

Dude / dudette.

Check your local search engine.

Watch a plant in your garden, for gawdsakes. Plants wilt without water, so it's a fair bet that water fills the cells - perhaps the cell walls?

Here's a passage ripped off from a website:

Water acts as a SOLVENT for minerals and stored food that must be moved through the plant. Water evaporation on the leaf surface helps cool the plant during very hot weather in the same way that perspiration keeps us cool.

Plants even require water during winter. Water is absorbed through and stored in roots for winter. When soil is frozen, water movement is very restricted. On windy winter days, leaves of broadleaf evergreens, such as rhododendrons, may curl to reduce water loss. Curling reduces the amount of leaf surface exposed to drying winds, reducing evaporation. Continued water loss may cause tissue to die and turn brown. This kind of plant injury is called desiccation. It is critical that broadleaf evergreens have an adequate supply of soil moisture going into winter.

Answer 2

There is no life that can exist without water