Question

A plant cell is placed in distilled water, as shown in the figure. There is a net uptake of water by osmosis, causing the cell to become turgid. Select the correct statement about this setup, after the cell is fully turgid:_________A) The pressure potentials (ΨP) of the cell and its surroundings are the same.B) The water potentials (Ψ) of the cell and its surroundings are the same.C) Because the cell contains more solutes than the distilled water that surrounds it, the solute potential (ΨS) of the cell is higher than the solute potential of distilled water.

Answer 1

Answer:

The water potentials (Ψ) of the cell and its surroundings are the same.

Explanation:

When a cell is kept in hypotonic surroundings such as distilled water, the osmotic movement of water occurs towards the cell. The entry of water makes the cell swell up and it becomes turgid. Water potential is determined by solute and pressure potentials mainly. Here, the solute potential of the cell and the distilled water was different resulting in differences in their respective water potential values which in turn served as a driving force for endosmosis.

When the cell is fully turgid, the solute concentration of the cell and the surrounding distilled water become equal to each other. Under these conditions, the water potential of the cell and distilled water are the same.