The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
Transpiration is the process by which plants give off water vapor from their leaves to the atmosphere. The process is an important stage in the water cycle, often more important in returning water to the atmosphere than is evaporation from rivers and lakes. A single acre of growing corn, for example, transpires an average of 3,500 gal (13,248 l) of water per acre (0.4 ha) of land per day. Transpiration is, therefore, an important mechanism for moving water through the soil, into plants, and back into the atmosphere. When plants are removed from an area, soil retains more moisture and is unable to absorb rain water. As a consequence, runoff and loss of nutrients from the soil is likely to increase.