The effects of isotonic, hypotonic, and hypertonic extracellular environments on plant and animal cells is the same. However, due to the cell walls of plants, the visible effects differ. Although some effects can be seen, the rigid cell wall can hide the magnitude of what is going on inside. Osmosis has different meanings in biology and chemistry. For biologists, it refers to the movement of water across a semipermeable membrane. Chemists use the term to describe the movement of water, other solvents, and gases across a semipermeable membrane. Both biologists and chemists define diffusion as the movement of solute particles (dissolved materials) from an area of higher concentration to lower concentration until equilibrium is reached. Osmosis is a passive transport system, meaning it requires no energy. It causes water to move in and out of cells depending on the solute concentration of the surrounding environment. This movement is caused by a concentration gradient created when there are different solute concentrations inside and outside the cell. It doesn’t matter what dissolved materials make up the solute, only the overall concentration. It is important to note that cells do not regulate the movement of water molecules in and out of their intracellular fluid. They rely on other systems in the body (such as the kidneys) to provide an isotonic external environment (see below). A cell in an isotonic solution is in equilibrium with its surroundings, meaning the solute concentrations inside and outside are the same (iso means equal in Latin). In this state there is no concentration gradient and therefore, no large movement of water in or out. Water molecules do freely move in and out of the cell, however, and the rate of movement is the same in both directions. A hypotonic solution has a lower solute concentration than inside the cell (the prefix hypo is Latin for under or below). The difference in concentration between the compartments causes water to enter the cell. Plant cells can tolerate this situation better than animal cells. In plants, the large central vacuole fills with water and water also flows into the intercellular space. The combination of these two effects causes turgor pressure which presses against the cell wall causing it to bulge out. The cell wall helps keep the cell from bursting. However, if left in a highly hypertonic solution, an animal cell will swell until it bursts and dies. In Latin, the prefix hyper means over or above. Hypertonic solutions have a higher solute concentration than inside the cell. This causes water to rush out making the cell wrinkle or shrivel. This is clearly seen in red blood cells undergoing a process called crenation. Plant cells in a hypertonic solution can look like a pincushion because of what’s going on inside. The cell membrane pulls away from the cell wall but remains attached at points called plasmodesmata. Plasmodesmata are tiny channels between plant cells that are used for transport and communication. When the inner membrane shrinks, it constricts the plasmodesmata resulting in a condition called plasmolysis.
 The image above shows what happens to a cell in isotonic, hypertonic, and hypotonic solutions. References
Get the answer to your homework problem. Try Numerade free for 7 days
University of Cambridge Saltwater Fish vs. Freshwater Fish? Fish cells, like all cells, have semi-permeable membranes. Eventually, the concentration of "stuff" on either side of them will even out. A fish that lives in salt water will have somewhat salty water inside itself. Put it in the freshwater, and the freshwater will, through osmosis, enter the fish, causing its cells to swell, and the fish will die. What will happen to a freshwater fish in the ocean?
Imagine you have a cup that has 100ml water, and you add 15g of table sugar to the water. The sugar dissolves and the mixture that is now in the cup is made up of a solute (the sugar) that is dissolved in the solvent (the water). The mixture of a solute in a solvent is called asolution. Imagine now that you have a second cup with 100ml of water, and you add 45 grams of table sugar to the water. Just like the first cup, the sugar is the solute, and the water is the solvent. But now you have two mixtures of different solute concentrations. In comparing two solutions of unequal solute concentration, the solution with the higher solute concentration is hypertonic, and the solution with the lower solute concentration is hypotonic. Solutions of equal solute concentration are isotonic. The first sugar solution is hypotonic to the second solution. The second sugar solution is hypertonic to the first. You now add the two solutions to a beaker that has been divided by a selectively permeable membrane, with pores that are too small for the sugar molecules to pass through, but are big enough for the water molecules to pass through. The hypertonic solution is on one side of the membrane and the hypotonic solution on the other. The hypertonic solution has a lower water concentration than the hypotonic solution, so a concentration gradient of water now exists across the membrane. Water molecules will move from the side of higher water concentration to the side of lower concentration until both solutions are isotonic. At this point, equilibrium is reached. Osmosis is the diffusion of water molecules across a selectively permeable membrane from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration. Water moves into and out of cells by osmosis. If a cell is in a hypertonic solution, the solution has a lower water concentration than the cell cytosol, and water moves out of the cell until both solutions are isotonic. Cells placed in a hypotonic solution will take in water across their membrane until both the external solution and the cytosol are isotonic. A cell that does not have a rigid cell wall, such as a red blood cell, will swell and lyse (burst) when placed in a hypotonic solution. Cells with a cell wall will swell when placed in a hypotonic solution, but once the cell is turgid (firm), the tough cell wall prevents any more water from entering the cell. When placed in a hypertonic solution, a cell without a cell wall will lose water to the environment, shrivel, and probably die. In a hypertonic solution, a cell with a cell wall will lose water too. The plasma membrane pulls away from the cell wall as it shrivels, a process called plasmolysis. Animal cells tend to do best in an isotonic environment, plant cells tend to do best in a hypotonic environment. This is demonstrated inFigure below. Unless an animal cell (such as the red blood cell in the top panel) has an adaptation that allows it to alter the osmotic uptake of water, it will lose too much water and shrivel up in a hypertonic environment. If placed in a hypotonic solution, water molecules will enter the cell, causing it to swell and burst. Plant cells (bottom panel) become plasmolyzed in a hypertonic solution, but tend to do best in a hypotonic environment. Water is stored in the central vacuole of the plant cell.
When water moves into a cell by osmosis, osmotic pressure may build up inside the cell. If a cell has a cell wall, the wall helps maintain the cell’s water balance. Osmotic pressure is the main cause of support in many plants. When a plant cell is in a hypotonic environment, the osmotic entry of water raises the turgor pressure exerted against the cell wall until the pressure prevents more water from coming into the cell. At this point the plant cell is turgid (Figure below). The effects of osmotic pressures on plant cells are shown in Figure below. The central vacuoles of the plant cells in this image are full of water, so the cells are turgid. The action of osmosis can be very harmful to organisms, especially ones without cell walls. For example, if a saltwater fish (whose cells are isotonic with seawater), is placed in fresh water, its cells will take on excess water, lyse, and the fish will die. Another example of a harmful osmotic effect is the use of table salt to kill slugs and snails. Diffusion and osmosis are discussed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aubZU0iWtgI(18:59).
Organisms that live in a hypotonic environment such as freshwater, need a way to prevent their cells from taking in too much water by osmosis. A contractile vacuole is a type of vacuole that removes excess water from a cell. Freshwater protists, such as the paramecium shown in Figure below, have a contractile vacuole. The vacuole is surrounded by several canals, which absorb water by osmosis from the cytoplasm. After the canals fill with water, the water is pumped into the vacuole. When the vacuole is full, it pushes the water out of the cell through a pore. The contractile vacuole is the star-like structure within the paramecia.
Use this resource to answer the questions that follow.
This page titled 2.1: Osmosis is shared under a CK-12 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by CK-12 Foundation via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request. LICENSED UNDER |
When a plant cell is submerged in a very hypotonic solution what is likely to occur group of answer choices?
Postagens relacionadas
direito autoral © 2024 comojogaruno Inc.
