What is the process by which water evaporates from plant leaves through small openings?

The process by which water evaporates from plant leaves through small openings is known as transpiration. Transpiration occurs when water is absorbed by plant roots from the soil and then moves through the plant to the leaves. Once in the leaves, water can evaporate into the atmosphere through tiny openings called stomata. This process is crucial for maintaining water uptake in plants and also helps regulate temperature and facilitates nutrient transport.

In the context of the other choices, osmosis refers to the movement of water across a semi-permeable membrane from a region of lower solute concentration to a region of higher solute concentration, which does not specifically involve evaporation from leaves. Evaporation is the general process of water changing from liquid to gas, but it does not specify the plant context. Condensation, on the other hand, is the process where water vapor cools and changes back into liquid, which is the opposite of what occurs during transpiration. Hence, transpiration is the correct term for the water loss from plant leaves through stomata.