The central vacuoles of some plant cells you are studying fill with water and press the cell contents against their cell walls because of osmosis.What can you predict about the concentration of solutes in the solution that bathes the turgid plant cells?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The fact that the central vacuoles are filling with water and pressing the cell contents against their cell walls suggests that the plant cells are turgid, or swollen, due to osmosis. This means that water is moving into the cell from an area of high water potential (outside the cell) to an area of lower water potential (inside the cell). Because the pressure on the cell wall increases as more water enters the cell, we can conclude that the concentration of solutes outside the cell must be significantly lower than the concentration within the cell. This is supported by the fact that osmosis occurs when there is a difference in solute concentration between two solutions separated by a selectively permeable membrane.

The Central Vacuoles of Some Plant Cells You Are Studying