Which statement differentiates transpiration from photosynthesis?

Which statement differentiates transpiration from photosynthesis?

• A. Transpiration is CO2 fixation; photosynthesis is water loss.
• B. Transpiration is water loss from leaves through stomata; photosynthesis is CO2 fixation into sugars using light energy.
• C. Both are the same process.
• D. Transpiration uses chlorophyll; photosynthesis uses xylem.

Answer: (B)

Transpiration describes water loss from leaves through stomata, while photosynthesis fixes CO2 into sugars using light energy. This contrast captures the distinct roles: transpiration moves water and helps pull sap through the plant, but it does not produce sugars or fix carbon; photosynthesis uses light-driven reactions in chloroplasts to convert CO2 and water into glucose and oxygen. The other ideas mix up these roles—transpiration is not CO2 fixation, they are not the same process, and chlorophyll is in chloroplasts (not a feature of transpiration), with xylem mainly involved in water transport rather than photosynthesis.

Transpiration describes water loss from leaves through stomata, while photosynthesis fixes CO2 into sugars using light energy. This contrast captures the distinct roles: transpiration moves water and helps pull sap through the plant, but it does not produce sugars or fix carbon; photosynthesis uses light-driven reactions in chloroplasts to convert CO2 and water into glucose and oxygen. The other ideas mix up these roles—transpiration is not CO2 fixation, they are not the same process, and chlorophyll is in chloroplasts (not a feature of transpiration), with xylem mainly involved in water transport rather than photosynthesis.