A plant cell placed in distilled water will an animal cell...

A plant cell placed in distilled water will _____ an animal cell placed in distilled water will _____.
a. burst ... burst
b. become flaccid ... shrivel
c. become turgid $\ldots$ be normal in shape
d. become turgid $\ldots$ burst

Labs

Want to see this concept in action?

NEW

Explore this concept interactively to see how it behaves as you change inputs.

View Labs

Key Concepts

Osmosis

Osmosis is the passive movement of water through a semipermeable membrane from a region of lower solute concentration to a region of higher solute concentration. This concept explains how water enters cells when they are placed in a hypotonic solution such as distilled water.

Hypotonic Solutions

In a hypotonic solution, the concentration of solutes outside the cell is lower than inside the cell, causing water to move into the cell. This results in an increase in cell volume, which can be beneficial or detrimental depending on the cell’s structural properties.

Cellular Structure Differences

Plant cells and animal cells respond differently to the influx of water due to structural differences. Plant cells have a rigid cell wall that provides support and limits the swelling of the cell, resulting in turgidity without bursting. In contrast, animal cells lack a cell wall and are more susceptible to osmotic lysis, meaning they can burst when too much water enters.

Transcript

Please give Ace some feedback