Question

Turgor pressure assists in helping a plant stay upright. When the concentration of sugars and ions in the cell’s vacuoles is high, water rushes into the cell, increasing the pressure on the cell wall. What would be the most likely result of a low concentration of sugars and ions in the cell’s vacuole?
a.)the plant would die.
b.)The plant would stop photosynthesis.
c.)The plant would stay rigid.
d.)The plant would wilt.

Answer 1

A physical phenomenon known as osmosis causes water to flow from an area of low solute, high water concentration to an area of high solute, low water concentration, until the two areas have an equal ratio of solute to water. Normally, the solute diffuses toward equilibrium as well; however, all cells are surrounded by a lipid bilayer cell membrane which permits the flow of water in and out of the cell but restricts the flow of solute under many circumstances. As a result, when a cell is placed in a hypotonic solution, water rushes into the membrane, increasing the cell's volume. There you go! Have fun